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Appeals court schedule for Cincy parking plan

WVXU

An appeals court is scheduled to hear oral arguments on Cincinnati's parking lease May 6th. 

The First District Court of Appeals released a filing Wednesday with the schedule for the case.

The city will have to have submit its brief by April 19th and lawyers representing the residents who oppose the parking plan will have to respond by April 29th. 

The court also said those briefs could be no more than 20 pages long.  That split the difference between the two sides.  The city had suggested a 15 page limit and the opposing lawyers wanted 25. 

The court's schedule is not as speedy as the city had requested.  It wanted a decision from the appeals panel by May 1st. 

A Hamilton County Judge last week issued a permanent injunction preventing the city from moving forward with the parking lease until residents have a chance to place the issue on the November ballot.

In a filing last week, the city said the case is about whether the Cincinnati Charter permits City Council to make any ordinance immediately effective or whether every ordinance is subject to referendum.  The judge found all laws are subject to a vote. 

City administrators want money from the parking plan to stabilize the city's next budget which must be in place by July 1st.  Additional funds would be used to jump start economic development projects in the city to grow the tax base. 

Opponents say the plan could lead to higher parking rates and is not a long-term solution to the budget problem.  They're scheduled to submit petitions to city officials Thursday afternoon.

Jay Hanselman brings more than 10 years experience as a news anchor and reporter to 91.7 WVXU. He came to WVXU from WNKU, where he hosted the local broadcast of All Things Considered. Hanselman has been recognized for his reporting by the Kentucky AP Broadcasters Association, the Ohio Society of Professional Journalists, and the Ohio AP Broadcasters.