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Mayor Richard Daley is pitching the idea of one get-out-of-a-ticket-free card per year for drivers who slightly overstay their welcome at Chicago parking meters.
If aldermen go along, drivers would be able to successfully fight one ticket per car each year if the penalty is handed out within five minutes of the meter or pay ticket running out.
It’s part of the mayor’s attempt to placate the public after an unpopular lease of the city’s parking meters led to steep rate hikes and broken machines. Much of the one-time windfall is being used to prop up the city budget.
via Chicago parking meters: Daley offers drivers a break – chicagotribune.com.
Any Chicago residents out there with some strong opinions on the parking meter issue? If so, I’d like to hear from you.
I’m also interested in hearing from people in Nashville or in any other city that is planning to sell off part of its infrastructure to help pay off the budget.
Apologize for the sporadic posting of late. I’m in the middle of a move.
- Portions of Album Content Provided by All Music Guide © 2009 All Media Guide, LLC.
Not sure if you care about state infrastructure sales…Arizona is planning on selling $300 million of buildings and then leasing them back. Also, they’re going to borrow $400 million from future lottery revenue and they’re going to borrow $260 million from a childhood development fund called First Things First. And then they have the balls to say this is how they’re going to balance the budget…total bullshit, just a bunch of short-term gimmicks that doesn’t fix any of the structural fiscal problems in the state. Of course, the ignorant local media doesn’t point any of this out. They need to cut the ridiculous pension structure and make it a defined contribution plan like all non-government employees have, because that’s where the biggest problem is along with the ridiculous salaries. Of course, the unions fight that idea every step of the way and that’s the whole problem. Too bad states can’t declare bankruptcy like cities can, that would fix the problem.
The attached budget presentation from the AZ governor details the infrastructure sales and borrowing I mentioned on page 69.
http://www.azgovernor.gov/documents/AZBudget/2011/FY2011_BudgetRolloutPresentation.pdf
As a Chicago resident I have found that getting a ticket over the “parking fiasco” is the least of my worries. The genius that selected the placement for these boxes should be forced to jump into Lake Michigan every morning until spring. Half of the machines are placed in areas of the city that are economically depressed anyway. So, what is worse than getting a ticket for staying five minutes too long? Getting a ticket because some jerk decided to put up a parking machine in front of your home. Hey, it could be worse. Rahm could run for Mayor!
TIME TO FLUSH TWICE
I’ve lived in Chicago for 4 years and in the first two weeks I got 4 tickets for not having a front license plate. After the 3rd, I was told to put my plate on the front console under the windshield until I get the proper device necessary to attach a license plate to the front of an old car. The 4th ticket was promptly placed under the wiper covering the plate. Now Daley’s reaching out by allowing one free ticket a year? How about allowing companies to purchase potholes and cover them with their logos? F*ck that limp-d*ck c*ckf*cker.
Some years back when I lived there I recall another scam/scandal where the city tow trucks were picking legally parked cars, towing them off to another location and parked illegally but done so intentionally for the purposes of getting a ticket and/or towed off to the city pond looked over by chicago’s finest[theft ring of chicago cops] this was of coarse for more revenue $$$ Channel 7 eyewitness news busted them live on camera, in your face!
Daley can kiss my ass with his tougne out He can’t drop dead soon enough for me or prosecuted under RICO and do a thousand years until he’s dead the POS
Chicago! The septic’s leach lines which travel to the oval tank in Washington aka the Office, Another POS of extreme proportions, like, from head to toe. Biggest LIAR,FRAUD, PHONY Evah!!! HE CAN JOIN DALEY ON HIS KNEES. IT’S PUCKER TIME a$$holes!!!
Hey Matt! Although I don’t agree with you on many things, I think your a Great writer, and your funny. SEE YOU ON THE I man[IMUS] Stay safe.
Perhaps those complaining about parking meters and tickets should start using public transportation.
No one seems to have responded well to your question. The irk beyond selling of public assests was the price. The City would have made the $1B in 11 years of revenue at the current rate, but the lease is for 75 years (64 years of lost revenue) So after that basic calculation they then allowed the new owners to double the rates in the first year and then allowing a quadrupling of rates by 2013. Current rate is 48 quarters for 2 hours in the loop. The whole deal was annouced and passed in 48 hours.
The City gave away a $100 million for a public transit program because it would have eliminated some parking spaces and the deal wouldn’t allow it.