Resident petition prompts committee to approve reversal of one‑side parking rule on 9th Street

At its Sept. 8 Public Safety and Welfare meeting, the committee voted to approve a decision to act on a parking change for 9th Street after a resident presented a petition claiming the current one‑side parking rule makes it hard for neighbors to find parking.

Ruth Geisen, who identified herself during public comment, said she had collected a petition from residents of 9th Street and asked the committee to restore the prior parking configuration. "It is hard to find parking," Geisen said, adding that many residents "have to park about two blocks away" because parking is limited to one side of the street.

A staff member told the committee that trial periods can be useful for testing changes without immediately adopting full ordinance revisions. "It does allow us to try things, without having to go back and resolution," the staff member said, and indicated staff would support resending or piloting the change. The chair thanked residents for speaking and noted public input was helpful to the committee's work.

Committee member Andy Alderman moved to "approve the decision" related to the parking item; the motion was seconded and members voted in favor. The chair recorded an affirmative vote and the motion passed. The committee did not specify an implementation date or additional procedural steps during the recorded discussion.

Earlier in the meeting the committee approved the minutes from Aug. 22 and heard that the police department had no items to report. No ordinances, statutes, funding sources or implementation timelines were cited on the record for the 9th Street decision.