Preserve Our Parks Opposes Inequitable Parking Fees
To help close an $887,000 deficit in the Parks Department 2027 budget , Milwaukee County is proposing parking fees at certain lake front lots and areas around the FiServ Forum. While POP recognizes the need for additional revenue sources, the County still must provide equitable access to parks to all its residents. Any proposal for requiring paid parking must significantly add to net income for the parks and also be equitable. Parking fees must not reduce County residents’ access to the parks. The parks are for everybody no matter their income.
The current parking fee proposal plans for use of QR codes to make collections, a noted improvement over the parking meters which were proposed in the Walker era. The proposal must clarify how fees will be enforced. If fees are collected, some mechanism should be introduced to allow impoverished families to receive a break from fees, whether through targeted fee area exemptions or reductions. County residents who support parks through their property taxes or rent should have the ability to purchase a yearly park sticker for a reasonable fee with an exemption from payment of the daily fee. Out of County, State or country visitors should be required to pay a reasonable fee for parking. They currently use our locally supported assets, while paying nothing for general use of our public parks.
Park Stickers could also be a way to allow any resident or visitor to proudly donate support for our beloved parks. The many Friends of the Parks groups could provide the leadership for making a Support Public Parks Sticker a positive campaign for a must-have, new-in-thing. As President of POP, I’d be happy to buy the first one, and such programs could allow supporters to give additional voluntary support, held in a trust with the Parks Foundation specifically earmarked for support of the Parks Budget.
POP recognizes the budgeting challenges the County faces, especially for our parks. Milwaukee County must fund many costly services that the State mandates. The State, however, does not require the County to have or pay for parks. It is only after the budget for mandated services and programs is fulfilled that the County provides for the parks. The County lacks an adequate funding source dedicated to its parks.
The public can be assured POP will keep advocating for our beloved County Park system. To that end, POP has organized a new Parks Funding Task Force to study alternatives and make recommendations for the dedicated support of our parks and to help pay for the five hundred million dollars in deferred capital needs. We ask the public to support this work.
NOTE: This press release was submitted to Urban Milwaukee and was not written by an Urban Milwaukee writer. While it is believed to be reliable, Urban Milwaukee does not guarantee its accuracy or completeness.
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