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Hamilton to trial 30‑minute courthouse parking; county clarifies streets are city‑controlled
Summary
County commissioners discussed the City of Hamilton's plan to implement 30‑minute parking around the courthouse, including a trial phase with chalking and initial warnings. County officials emphasized the county does not control city streets and noted employee‑parking concerns and potential longer‑term solutions such as a parking deck.
County staff told commissioners that the City of Hamilton plans to begin enforcing a 30‑minute parking restriction in and around the courthouse area as a trial to give downtown merchants time to adjust.
A county staff member said the city will likely “chalk a car and see how long it's been there” during a trial period and that initial enforcement may include warnings to allow people to become accustomed to the change.
Commissioners and staff raised questions about the geographic scope of the enforcement — whether it applies only to the courthouse square or both sides of the street where law offices sit — and noted the county does not own the streets or sidewalks in downtown Hamilton. “When somebody gets a ticket, they will come to the county and say…we have nothing to do with that. That's all city stuff,” a county official said.
Longer‑term solutions discussed included finding land for employee parking or building a parking deck near the courthouse to free street spaces for downtown commerce. One commissioner noted a prior conversation with the mayor about acquiring property for a deck; no county action or funding decision on that idea was taken at the meeting.
Ending: County staff will monitor the trial enforcement and its effects on courthouse employees and visitors; no formal county vote on parking regulation was taken because the streets are city jurisdiction.
