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Council committee approves Over-the-Rhine parking fee

over-the-rhine
Michael E. Keating
/
WVXU

A Cincinnati city council committee voted 3-1 Monday to charge Over-the-Rhine residents $108 a year for parking spaces.

The charge would apply to 450 parking spaces in the neighborhood.

Council’s Neighborhoods Committee chose the ordinance over one backed by Mayor John Cranley which would have allowed the city manager to set the permit rate and the number of parking spaces.

Vice Mayor David Mann, who chairs the committee, and council members Wendell Young and Yvette Simpson voted for the ordinance. Council member Kevin Flynn voted no.

The ordinance is expected to go before the full council Wednesday.  It's not at all clear if there is a veto-proof majority of six for the ordinance.

Jay Kincaid, Cranley’s chief of staff, said the mayor hasn’t made up his mind what he would do about a possible veto.

“He keeps his options open and no decision has been made,’’ Kincaid said.

Mann said the ordinance passed by his committee was a good start.

“There’s no question that the tremendous increase in activity and desire to live in Over-the-Rhine creates some problems, but they are good problems to have,” Mann said.

Flynn argued that there is plenty of space in Over-the-Rhine to build off-the-street parking and said that developers in the neighborhood should be required to provide parking, as are developers in other places, such as Downtown.

Howard Wilkinson is in his 50th year of covering politics on the local, state and national levels.