Photo credit: Chris Abele for Milwaukee County Executive Facebook page
As the Shepherd Express went to press this week, Milwaukee County Executive Chris Abele emailed and posted a statement entitled “You Spoke, I Listened.” The speaking took place at the Domes on Feb. 6 when his scheme to install parking meters in the county park system was loudly denounced by hundreds of angry audience members.
Reflecting on public outrage over steps that would make the parks less accessible to the public, Abele announced that he is asking the County Board to “discontinue” the “Pay to Park” proposal and use the county’s contingency fund to “fully fund our Parks Department for this year.”
However, the argument hasn’t ended but has only been postponed. “I am pleased that we will be able to avoid charging visitors from paying to park their vehicles this year,” Abele said. “But I must caution that this is a short-term solution to a long-term problem.”
Today, I’m asking the County Board to discontinue the Pay to Park program that was included in the 2018 budget, and use instead the County’s “rainy day” contingency fund to fully fund our Parks Department for this year.
We asked for public input in order to better understand how people feel about this new dedicated revenue stream to the parks system. I said from the beginning that charging for parking in the parks is not something that I prefer.
I am pleased that we will be able to avoid charging visitors from paying to park their vehicles this year. But I must caution that this is a short-term solution to a long-term problem.
Aside from rainy day funds, other difficult options we had to consider were increasing the vehicle registration fee $5 per year or dramatic, widespread closures across our Parks system.
With no good options, I’m asking the County Board for this temporary fix, while we work together to plan for other alternatives in next year’s budget.
