JACKSON, Wyo. — At Monday’s Jackson Town Council meeting, the councilors reconsidered and withdrew an Oct. 6 vote on pricing for the parking garage at the corner of Millward St. and Simpson Ave. This reconsideration nullifies the vote earlier in the month that increased fees to a maximum daily rate of $25.
The Town Council plans to have further discussion on the topic of fee hikes at its next meeting on Nov. 3. Until then, the parking garage will remain fee-free at all times of day and night. This is possible because staff has been instructed to refrain from implementing the fee schedule approved in June, which cost $3 per hour between midnight and 4 a.m.
Councilor Jonathan Schechter came to the meeting wondering what the problem is that they were trying to solve. He said he has heard about various issues needing solutions, including residential units without sufficient parking, START Bus airport shuttle parking, parking for employees at local businesses and parking for visitors who want to be downtown.
“My sense is that, absent a clear understanding of what the problem is that we are trying to solve with our discussions here, we will never solve them,” Schechter said at the meeting. “My related sense is that there is not enough capacity in the parking garage to handle all four of those, if not other things that I haven’t thought of or heard about.”
Councilor Devon Viehman made the motion to reconsider the vote in order to take into account added information on payment structure that has presented itself since the previous vote. The motion passed unanimously. Once the motion to reconsider was passed, the original member who introduced the Oct. 6 motion, Mayor Arne Jorgensen, withdrew it and gained consent of the seconder, Councilor Viehman. Another councilor then made a motion to continue the item to the Nov. 3 meeting.
During the Oct. 6 meeting, Town of Jackson Transportation Manager Charlotte Frei told Town Council that the parking garage is a normal, private good that has been underpriced since its construction in 2007. The discussion around parking fees has been ongoing for months, in hopes of deterring people from overnight camping, rental car companies from storing vehicles and criminal activity from occurring.
Individuals can make public comment on this topic at the Nov. 3 meeting or anytime before then by sending an email to Town Council.
