Downtown Parking Fees Increase, Council Votes 7-1

JOLIET, IL — Tuesday night's Joliet City Council meeting was dominated by 90 minutes of public comments on the controversial NorthPoint warehouse development followed by the mayor's tie-breaking vote for the project. At the same meeting, the council voted 7-1 in favor of increasing the city's downtown parking fees effective January.

On the bright side, downtown Joliet parking, including the city's two parking decks, will still be free after 5 p.m. Monday-Friday and free on Saturday and Sunday, city officials explained.

Only councilwoman Jan Quillman was against raising the city's downtown parking rates.

She kept asking interim city manager Steve Jones how the city is supposedly running a $300,000 deficit in its parking fund, and she wasn't satisfied with his explanations.

The city of Joliet employs several people in its parking division for things like day to day maintenance and security, plus meter maids who walk the downtown streets on a daily basis looking to ticket motorists whose vehicles are parked at an expired meter.

City Public Works Director Jim Trizna said some of the parking division staff have had to clean up areas of the city's parking decks because homeless people "spend the night at times."

"I just don't understand how we're losing $300,000," Quillman said.

At Tuesday's meeting, Jones explained the additional parking revenue will help the city hire an engineering consultant to give recommendations on maintenance repairs, infrastructure improvements and technology upgrades for the parking decks and lots.

The city's two public parking decks were built in 1979.

Trizna also told the council that hiring a private consultant was necessary because the city does not employ any structural engineers on staff.

Jones said the additional revenue from the parking rate increases will be used to improve security, lighting and automate the parking decks. The city's parking decks are not even equipped to take payments by credit cards, Jones told Patch on Wednesday.

With the exception of Quillman, Joliet City Council members Don "Duck" Dickinson, Sherri Reardon, Terry Morris, Larry Hug, Mike Turk, Bettye Gavin and Pat Mudron all voted to support Jones' proposal to jack up the city's parking rates come Jan. 1.

Monthly parking passes at the parking decks will increase by $20 from $40 to $60.

Hourly parking fees at the parking decks will increase by 50 cents, going from 50 cents to $1.

Riverwall parking lot: monthly parking passes will increase by $5, going from $15 to $20.

Zone A street parking, which includes the city's lot across from the Rialto, will increase by 50 cents, going from $1 per hour to $1.50 per hour.

Zone B street parking: will increase by 25 cents, going from 50 cents an hour to 75 cents an hour.

Commuter lot parking: will increase by 50 cents per day, going from $1 to $1.50

Mayor Art Schultz Parking Lot: will increase by $1 daily, going from $4 to $5.