Caldwell council reviews proposal to create downtown parking advisory board

Just after 5 p.m. at a Caldwell City Council workshop, staff presented a draft ordinance to create a Downtown Parking Advisory Board that would review downtown parking issues and make recommendations to the City Council. The item was discussion-only; the council took no formal action.

City staff said the draft mirrors the city’s other advisory boards, would have appointed members (the draft specifies three to seven members), include both community members and council representation, and would meet at least quarterly. “It’s pretty basic,” said Robin, a city staff member who circulated the draft by email and presented the proposal to council members.

Supporters said the board would provide a formal venue for downtown parking concerns and recommendations to reach the council. The draft also specifies that appointed board members must be citizens of Caldwell. Council discussion centered on membership composition: Councilor Stuttick asked whether the board would include private citizens who are not downtown property owners or business operators; staff said the draft emphasizes community members and council representation but that language could be revised to add seats for non–downtown-business residents if the council desires.

Council members also asked which city department would house the board and keep records. Staff said parking and code compliance currently sit within Community Development, and that enforcement and any codified recommendations would be coordinated among the parking officer, code compliance and the police department. The presenter said Community Development is the natural fit because parking and related code issues are already managed there.

Members of an informal community group that has met about downtown parking were mentioned during the discussion; staff noted that the advisory board’s meetings would be public and that members of the public could attend and present feedback at those meetings. No final membership appointments or ordinance language were adopted at the workshop.

The council recessed and scheduled a subsequent workshop on the airport; the downtown parking item will return to the council for further direction if the council requests changes to the draft language.