With a potential $323 million budget deficit on its hands, the D.C. Council is looking for new ways to increase revenue. What better way to bring the city money then by raising parking fines? Well, how about expanding the city’s free parking privileges to include even more District employees at the same time?
According to the Washington Times, more than 1,000 city employees now enjoy parking perks. Among those who are exempt from city parking meter fees are the Mayor, D.C. Council members and even our friendly Advisory Neighborhood Commissioners. District Public Works spokeswomen Mary Myers claimed in the Times that “the exemption is primarily to give city officials some flexibility to do the jobs they are elected and/or paid to do.” We agree that these parking perks are needed for city officials; in fact, we feel that the program should be expanded even further.
With the massive size of many ANC districts, it can be quite difficult for commissioners to travel several hundred feet to a meeting. This is especially true during the harsh D.C. winters, when the extra 200 feet could cost a commissioner a precious finger or toe. We believe that to promote civic involvement, anyone who has attended an ANC meeting in the past or may attend one in the future should also be granted free parking privileges. For that matter, anyone who knows what the acronym ANC stands for should receive parking benefits.
It is vital to the operations of the Georgetown ANC districts that our commissioners be able to traverse the grueling distances required to meet with their constituents-?whether that meeting takes place at The Tombs, at a kegger on Prospect or any other location where parking might be scarce. It’s a sad day for city government when ANC commissioners have to travel on foot, or else face the prospect of parking their vehicles legally.
The D.C. Council is taking an essential step towards preventing their own members from getting parking violations. After all, those parking meters are an inconvenient and expensive pain for people who need to manage a $323 million budget deficit. But don’t forget?they have to make up for the lost parking revenue somehow, so we will just have to foot the bill in higher fines when we want to park on this side of the Potomac River on a Friday night. That is, unless our proposal for free parking for all Voice staff members is approved.
