County council debates parking lease from city

Brad Wetnight, the owner of a downtown paint supply store, pays $3,000 a year for parking spaces for his employees. \n"It's money well-spent," he said. "It guarantees efficiency. And I feel I have a responsibility to take care of my employees."\nWetnight said he would like to see the county government adopt a similar policy.\nDebate raged over a parking plan Tuesday at the monthly Monroe County Council meeting. \nThe council convened an hour early for a hearing on the issue, discussion of which spilled over into its formal meeting through public comment. Although the council took no formal action Tuesday, its approval is necessary to appropriate funds for the lease. \nThe City of Bloomington is offering Monroe County a 30-year, $1.4 million lease of 150 parking spaces in the Walnut Center. The city subsidized the center -- a $5.6 million parking garage and retail center expected to be opened later this month.\nThe city leases out the parking spaces, some of which the mayor's office and city council would like to go to county employees, who now park around the courthouse square. \nDowntown merchants complain the parking spaces would otherwise go to customers, costing them business.\n"We're talking about millions of dollars of lost revenue," said Bob Costello, owner of the Village Deli. "There are no convenient places to park downtown. And anyone who tries to park downtown after 4 (p.m.) knows that it's not hard to find a space, so we know it's the county employees."\nThe county commissioners are likely to pass the plan. Two of its three members -- president Brian O'Neill and Iris Kiesling -- have expressed public support, while only Joyce Poling dissents. \nBut it's likely to be a turf war with the county council, which controls the county's finances. Four of its seven members oppose the lease as now proposed.\nCouncilman Jeff Ellington said he'd rather see the money go to other priorities, such as a new correctional facility at the ST Semicon site. It's the downtown site proposed by a private Florida developer for a 272-unit apartment complex that could house about 800 students -- most of whom would be parking garage clients themselves. \n"This is a short-term solution to our problem," he said. "I'd rather see something long-term."\nEllington and other council members said they were bothered that the county would not have partial ownership of the facility. Ownership would not be transferred to the government until the lease runs out in 39 years, said city controller Tom Guevara.\nCouncilman Doug Duncan said he's on the same page as Ellington when it comes to priorities. He favors using available funds for a new juvenile correction facility. \nDavid Hamilton, council vice president, said he doesn't believe county employees will use the garage instead of the courthouse square.\nCouncilman Scott Wells, who opposes the lease as it stands, offered a solution to Hamilton's reservation. He proposed making county employees partially pay for the spaces, freeing up county funds for other purposes.\n"And I'd think they'd use the spaces if they paid for them," he said.\nThe city wants the county to go ahead with it, which county council members expressed resentment about. But Guevara said it's a good deal -- the county would pay about $9,600 per space, when the actual construction cost was about $11,600 per space.\nBut the council didn't put the lease on its formal agenda and is likely to spend more time debating the issue.\n"There's a lot of infighting over this," said Chris Sturbaum, a member of the Bloomington Historical Preservation Commission. "The county has a vision of downtown Bloomington as a place it can be proud to visit, and the city has a similar vision. We have to work together to preserve and nurture the downtown"