Canton Suspends Downtown Parking Enforcement

For the next 60 days, motorists who come to downtown Canton on business or for leisure will not have to worry about receiving a parking ticket.

That’s because the Canton City Council during a called meeting on Monday unanimously voted to suspend parking enforcement in its downtown business district. Council member Hooky Huffman was not present.

The suspension will last for 60 days or until a committee made up of Council members Bill Grant and Farris Yawn come up with a list of recommended changes to the city’s policy.

City Manager Glen Cummins said Canton Police Department will just issue warning citations for those found to be in violations of various stipulations.

The council made the decision after hearing from five individuals — three downtown merchants, an attorney whose offices are in downtown and one resident — who all expressed varying views about the city’s plan. Last week, council members were also treated to criticism from merchants about the time limit imposed upon motorists who wish to park throughout downtown.

Three merchants expressed support of the Canton Police Department enforcing downtown parking regulations, but called for changes that would not impact their bottom lines.

Mike DeLuca, whose family has owned and operated the R&M Sandwich Shop in downtown Canton for more than 40 years, said the city and merchants should work together to come up with a parking enforcement plan that works for everyone.

“The last thing we need to do is shut this program down,” he added. ”We are thrilled to death that we have a parking ordinance in effect.”

DeLuca reiterated the same opinion expressed last week by another merchant to the council: that the problem stems from employees parking in front of their businesses, thereby using spaces that should be reserved for customers.

Zach Kell, owner of Goin’ Coastal and Downtown Kitchen, added the city should not stop enforcing the ordinance, as it’s been “successful” in ticketing violators who exceed the two-hour time allotted for downtown parking.

Kell also said it’s imperative the city take its campaign to fix the problem to local media outlets, and work to clear up any misinformation that may be floating in the minds of residents.

Attorney John Edwards, whose law firm sits at 270 East Main Street, said the city does not have enough eight-hour parking to accommodate out-of-town residents who may be coming into downtown Canton on official business.

Additionally, since his office does not have its own parking, court reporters, fellow attorneys and clients who come to his place of business have a “round robin” of rushing to move their cars in an effort to prevent receiving a ticket.

However, resident Ellen Ward criticize the program in its entirety. Ward, who owns FoxTale Book Shoppe in downtown Woodstock, said she recently received a ticket after eating lunch at a restaurant in downtown Canton.

The purpose of the lunch was to brainstorm about the possibility of bringing an event to Canton, which Ward said would have drawn scores of people.

“It really pissed me off, to tell you the honest truth, and it really clicked in my mind that I wouldn’t be having an event here,” Ward told the council, adding the city of Woodstock does not ticket motorists

Ward said she feels sorry for downtown establishments because the ticketing doesn’t make for a “consumer friendly environment.”

Canton, she added, is “missing the point” when it comes to bringing people into its central business district. Residents who are spending more than two hours in downtown, she added, are “probably spending money here.”

Canton Mayor Gene Hobgood started his comments off by saying the city was not going to solve the problem during its meeting.

Both Yawn and Grant will solicit input from local merchants, members of the Main Street Board, Downtown Development Authority and the city’s crop of local attorneys to come up with a slew of recommendations to be adopted by the council.

Rust noted the city never intended to enforce parking as a means to generate revenue for its coffers. Rust proposed a so-called ”honor system” where customers would tell merchants how long they planned to take up a certain parking space. That, Hobgood said, is something Rust and the committee should consider as part of a package of recommendations that will be forwarded to the council.

Grant said it was going to take a coalition of those invested in downtown to “resolve this issue.”

“We all realize that starting and stopping is not really a great thing to do, but there is a need to do something immediately,” he added.

Photo credit: Patch file