{"id":90801,"date":"2014-10-17T17:44:47","date_gmt":"2014-10-17T22:44:47","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.bismarckcafe.com\/blogs\/?p=90801"},"modified":"2017-04-17T09:38:13","modified_gmt":"2017-04-17T14:38:13","slug":"mayor-mike-seminary-proposing-parking-meters","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.bismarckcafe.com\/blogs\/90801\/mayor-mike-seminary-proposing-parking-meters","title":{"rendered":"Mayor Mike Seminary Proposing Parking Meters"},"content":{"rendered":"

Newly elected Bismarck Mayor Mike Seminary<\/a> is working to overturn a 1948 statewide ban on parking meters,\u00a0insisting that local municipalities should have the freedom to choose for themselves\u00a0whether or not to use such parking devices.<\/p>\n

According to a Bismarck Tribune<\/em> article<\/a>, the use of parking meters to leverage additional funding might\u00a0jeopardize some federal financing eligibility\u00a0for road projects. Seminary argues that the additional revenue stream\u00a0could offset the loss of federal funding.<\/p>\n

Currently, downtown Bismarck<\/a> street parking is free; however, all vehicles must be moved during peak hours within a specified time frame. On most blocks, vehicles can also not re-park on the same “block face” within the same four-hour time\u00a0span.<\/p>\n

To help ease parking issues\u00a0in downtown Bismarck, a new $13-million parking ramp recently opened earlier this month<\/a>, bringing the total of public-use parking ramps to four (Third Street, the\u00a0Parkade<\/a>, and the Galleria being the others). Much of the available space in the parking ramps is not open to hourly parking. The construction of at least one other new public parking ramp has been suggested.<\/p>\n

The Tribune article cites select lawmakers’ reaction to the proposal, with the overall reaction seemingly neutral.<\/p>\n

Read more:<\/p>\n