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HomeMy WebLinkAbout~Master - Request for parking waivers for Election Day RESOLUTION NO. 17-635 RESOLUTION APPROVING REQUEST TO WAIVE PARKING ENFORCEMENT AND METER FEES AT CERTAIN POLLING LOCATIONS FOR ELECTION DAY FOR THE CITY OF AMES WHEREAS, the Story County Auditor supervises the election process, including all 20 polling places within the City of Ames; and, WHEREAS, two of these city polling locations (Ames Public Library and Collegiate United Methodist Church) have metered parking that serves as the primary public parking resource for these locations; and, WHEREAS, a third, Collegiate Presbyterian Church, has three metered spaces along with additional private parking; and, WHEREAS, citizens who use these locations have frequently requested that metered spaces be available to accommodate voters and that the associated meter fees be waived on Election Day, and, WHEREAS, there is no statutory requirement to provide parking, some citizens who have raised the issue have noted that meter fees may serve as a potential barrier to voting, others have referred to the principle of removing barriers to voting in their comments, noting that the City has waived parking fees for commercial events in the Downtown area; and, WHEREAS, after a review of parking options at each site, it appears that 20 spaces on Douglas Avenue would provide a great deal of convenient, short-term parking; and, WHEREAS, additionally, there are spaces on 5th Street (11 spaces) and in Lot Q (62 spaces) for a total of 93 spaces available in the area of the Public Library, for the purpose of accommodating the Election, 20 of these spaces will be identified for waiver; and, WHEREAS, at the Collegiate United Methodist Church, there are nine spaces on Lincoln Way that are adjacent to the Church, and at the Collegiate Presbyterian Church, there are three spaces on West Street; and, WHEREAS, it should be noted that the City Council has approved this approach in the past, and, to date, there have not been any major issues or any negative feedback from utilizing metered parking for voting purposes. NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED by the City Council of the City of Ames, Iowa, that the Election Day-related parking allocation of up to 20 metered spaces near the Ames Public Library, of up to 9 spaces at the Collegiate United Methodist Church, and up to 3 spaces at the Collegiate Presbyterian Church, is hereby approved; BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, by the City Council of the City of Ames, Iowa, that authorization of the Traffic Engineer to determine the final number of parking spaces allocated to these three Election polling locations and to waive the meter fees for those spaces is hereby fiuther approved. ADOPTED THIS 24th day of October, 2017. -A. x Diane R Voss, City Clerk Ann H. Campbell, Mayor Introduced by: Betcher Seconded by: Corrieri Voting aye: Beatty-Hansen, Betcher, Corrieri, Gartin,Nelson, Orazem Voting nay: None Absent: None Resohition declared adopted and signed by the Mayor this 24th day of October, 2017.