PRESCOTT – On Aug. 30, the City of Prescott announced via Facebook that it “will not be moving forward with further consideration of the current proposed downtown paid parking plan.”

The announcement came after a heated public hearing of many concerned residents and business owners at the Aug. 28 Prescott City Council meeting. Prescott residents and business owners flooded social media with their approval of the council’s decision including comments of, “Time to celebrate!”, “A city that listens. Well done, Prescott!” and “Our voices were heard, and the city council made the right choice.”

City Administrator Matt Wolf, who faced criticism over the proposal, stated his feelings on the Wednesday decision.

“It was good to hear public input (and) see what people had to say,” Wolf said. “We heard loud and clear what businesses and the public said. So that’s the rationale for deciding not to move forward with it.”

Alderperson Pat Knox shared his own sentiments on the council’s decision. 

“We listened to what the residents wanted. It’s that simple,” Knox said. “We came up with the plan and we worked on it. We presented it and people told us they didn’t like the plan. That doesn’t hurt our feelings personally, it was just an idea or a plan. If we come up with those things and people don’t like them then we don’t take it personal. It is what it is.”

“Here’s the thing,” Knox spoke on the purpose for the original proposal. “I don’t think at any point the city council tried to go about running our own agenda because I don’t think we have an agenda. I think we’re always trying to figure out what we think is best for the city and a lot of times we get stuck with no feedback or no comments until something is done and then sometimes it’s too late or we get a long ways down the process like this.”

He said from the buzz around town, he knew there would be a big turnout at the public hearing meeting.

“I’m not surprised at all at the number of folks who showed up. I’m actually happy that that many folks showed up because the more people that are involved in all of these decisions, the better,” Knox said. “It was pretty close to unanimous what the people wanted, and our job is to listen to them and try to do the best we can based on either our own ideas or ideas or suggestions that they give us on what we should be doing. Even then when we have our ideas, the job is to listen and do what they are asking us to do or what they really want.”

Knox expressed his frustration when residents don’t share facts correctly from the council meetings and cited an example.  

“An example would be somebody in the meeting said that we lost 40 parking spaces to the remodel of downtown and that’s not true. We did lose 12, but we gained them back by adding other stuff. A lot of people are like, ‘You took away 40 spots.’ No, we didn’t. The redevelopment did cause the loss of some spots so there is a negative there but not as bad as what was perceived and repeated in the room multiple times. And in those situations, it’s not supposed to be a discussion or a back and forth. It’s supposed to be a public comment and so sometimes getting that misinformation corrected can be very difficult.”

Knox explained that in the future, the council hopes to get information out to the public earlier and get feedback first before moving forward with plans and finalizing them. He feels that part of the problem is lack of attendance at council meetings.

“I guess the reason is that people don’t come to the meetings,” Knox said. “It certainly doesn’t do the city employees any good to spend time on something that folks don’t want. What we need to try to do is find out what they want and what they don’t want as early in the process.”

When asked if he wishes more residents attended meetings, Knox answered quickly. “Absolutely! So many meetings are just us and one or two other people there. Nobody else comes.”

Mayor Robert Daugherty issued a statement through Wolf.

“After hearing from our businesses on Tuesday, Aug. 22 at two different business informational meetings and from the public at a public input meeting this past Monday, Aug. 28, the city is not moving forward with future consideration of the current proposed downtown paid parking plan. We appreciate all the feedback we got from both our businesses and the public in regards to this plan and look forward to continuing to find ways that lowers the tax burden on our property owners and works to address parking concerns downtown.”

Matt Bronk, brand new father and owner of Twisted Oak Coffee House in Prescott, was actively opposed to the downtown paid parking proposal and spoke at the public hearing meeting on Monday evening. He shared his reaction to the council’s decision.

“We’re thrilled with the outcome of the decision!” Bronk said. “I think the city did a wonderful job on listening to the people and making a decision based on what the people wanted. The turnout of the people showing up and making their voices heard was excellent. The system is not as broken as you think it is.”

Angie Miner, owner of Aim Joy Boutique, also spoke at the Aug. 28 public about her disapproval of the parking plan. She expressed her relief and elation hearing Wednesday’s council decision.

“It’s a new day. Ever since the plan was brought about, we’ve lived with this feeling of uncertainty because we know how it would impact us,” Miner said. “So just being on pins and needles hoping that they would hear from all the businesses and really understand that like I kept saying in the meetings.”

She adds that Prescott business owners knew the plan would impact their foot traffic overnight as recent customers have told her they didn’t want to come to Prescott and pay for parking.

 “It doesn’t make sense in a town our size. And parking is not a problem. It’s more how it’s managed, better signage, better communications. With a few tweaks like that we are sitting good,” Miner stated.

Miner remarked on her thankfulness for the timing of the City Council’s announcement.

“I thank them for not making us wait through Labor Day and through Prescott Daze and that we can just move on and feel like our livelihood is here to stay,” Miner said. “I do feel like they heard us. I’m just very glad they didn’t make everybody wait. It’s trying been very trying to come into work every day and wonder what the future has to hold. What the future is going to be. I knew it was going to impact a lot of us greatly, not in a good way. The minute I heard it was like we got life back. We all can move on and feel optimistic about our business again.”

Miner spoke on the support of the Prescott community.

“I was so proud of the community and how they showed up at the public hearing on Monday,” Miner said. “So many people who took the time to just come and represent from all different angles. People even not from Prescott who came and shared what paid parking would mean to them.

 “Prescott’s a gem. It’s a gem. The businesses work so hard to make Prescott what it is. The future feels promising again. I love being here.”