Bloomington paid parking debate heats up - chamber of commerce opposes mayor's plan

Mayor Mark Kruzan says the city’s garages are losing money, while the streets are overcrowded by cars. But Jim Shelton, the chamber’s interim president, said about 60 percent of his membership is against the current paid parking proposal. And while the city has advertised his organization’s support for metering after a 2007 study by a parking consultant, Shelton said the chamber has only supported paid parking as part of a comprehensive plan, which the chamber says the city has not put forward.

The chamber wanted improvements to the city’s garages and implementation of a park-and-ride system or trolley over the past six years, Shelton said, and none of that has occurred.