Kill Milwaukee County Pay-For-Park Idea, Board Candidate Says

GREENFIELD, WI — A Milwaukee County Board candidate says his first act as a county board member, if elected, would be to eliminate any possibility of paid parking in county parks by introducing a resolution forbidding any measures that would require park visitors to pay.

Tim Johnson, a candidate in Milwaukee's 17th County Board District equates parking fees with a new tax. “You can spin this any way you want,” Johnson said, “but this is a tax on park users. People should be enjoying the parks, not worrying if they have to go plug a meter.”

Johnson faces incumbent Tony Staskunas in the April 3 general election.

At issue is a proposal before the board to introduce parking meters at the county's 12,700 parking spaces at 50 parks and parkways to generate up to $2.5 million in revenue.

The revenue - which would be collected at meters that would charge parks users up to $2.50 per hour, would go toward paying for maintenance costs.

The proposal has drawn the ire of many county residents, who oppose the new fee idea. A Feb. 6 meeting to discuss the parking proposal drew shouts of protests from residents who decried the idea.

The City of Cudahy took their opposition to Milwaukee's pay-to-park measure one step further, by unanimously passing a resolution on Feb. 6 opposing Milwaukee's plan. That resolution will be forwarded to Milwaukee County Executive Christopher Abele.

Patch File Photo