The high cost of implementing changes to Lakeland’s downtown parking system left nearly half the city commissioners pissed off at staff.
The commission voted 4-3 on Monday morning to spend nearly $300,000 to have Massachusetts-based TCS International Inc. install a parking system in the Main Street and Heritage Plaza parking garages.
Commissioners LaLonde, Musick, and Read voted against the project, largely because of the price tag and who would be picking it up.
Tess Schwartz, the city’s traffic operations manager, said the aim was to make the available public parking spots “very, very straightforward” for drivers entering the Heritage Plaza parking garage.
LaLonde asked why the Lakeland Downtown Development Authority didn’t have any financial involvement or contribution to the parking system.
Julie Townsend, the LDDA’s executive director, told the media her organization was never approached about funding.
Schwartz said the individual parking space indicator lights could be turned red to indicate the slots are unavailable when maintenance is being done — one possible benefit to the garage’s private partners. It will also allow the city to better understand how spaces in the garage are being utilized.