After months of reviewing the controversial Parking Meter Project which has been met with rejection by the citizens and business community from the onset, Attorney General Basil Williams has admitted that the fee attached to the Parking Meter Service “over saddles” the working class and should be revised downwards.
This comment was made on Wednesday (February 8, 2017).
According to the Attorney General, the by-laws were vetted prior to it being signed off by the Communities Minister, Ronald Bulkan and it was during the review that he recommended to the Mayor and City Council (M&CC) that the figures be reworked ” even so the reworking seem to be over saddling the working class and I would suppose they would have to look at that again,” Williams said.
Williams said he was approached by M&CC earlier in the week regarding statements that he was still vetting the by-laws, it was during that time the AG said he took the opportunity to question the officials about the protest against the parking meters and the possible burdens on the workers.
The AG said M&CC has undertaken to relook at rates and should be meeting with him later today. Asked if there is a possibility of the $50 per 15 minutes being lowered, Williams said, “I would want to believe that.”
He went on to state that there are different packages for the businesses but for the working people, “my personal concern, and I’m not the authority on the matter, it’s the Minister of Communities but having reviewed the contract in the first place, I recognized that it would have been burdensome what they had and I trust that they would trust my judgement again that they need to look at this 50 dollars.”
