Mayor Troy Thompson’s bid to scrap paid parking likely to be defeated

Mayor Troy Thompson’s plans to abolish paid parking in the CBD is likely to be defeated, as councillors focus instead on whether to scrap meters for The Strand. An announcement on council’s permanent CEO is also expected.

Parking at The Strand during a weekday. Unless the council changes its mind, which seems likely to happen, parking meters will be installed in these areas and enforced in the new year. Picture: Shae Beplate.

Mayor Troy Thompson’s proposal to remove paid parking in the central business district is likely to be defeated as councillors debate the future of Townsville’s parking meters.

And while it seems likely councillors will scrap their plans to charge per hour to park at the Strand from next year, it remains a question of when they might propose to try again.

The special council meeting on Wednesday is likely to be filled with debate as councillors consider three different options to halt the controversial parking rollout along The Strand, South Townsville and Pimlico.

They are also expected to appoint the permanent chief executive to replace Prins Ralston, who left the council in May, with deputy mayor Paul Jacob set to announce who that will be.

Mr Thompson had left the room in the last two confidential meetings involving the selection of the chief executive due to a potential conflict of interest caused by open tensions with interim CEO Joe McCabe, who seems most likely to maintain his role.

Acting CEO Joe McCabe and Infrastructure and operations director Matt Richardson stand outside the confidential section of a Townsville City Council meeting, during which councillors determine the selection process for the new permanent CEO. Mr Richardson is was also an advocate for the paid parking rollout as an economic solution for the council’s operational budget. Picture: Shae Beplate.

While it’s understood the mayor has made efforts to undermine Mr McCabe’s candidacy, revealed by disendorsed KAP candidate Clynton Hawks through an unknown council source, he declared on Facebook he would be pushing to scrap CBD parking entirely.

The city’s parking has doubled to $2 an hour, capped to $10 per weekday, as part of this year’s annual budgetary measures and marked the first parking increase for the city in 14 years, and Mr Thompson previously has expressed concerns on the impacts it would have to his own council workers.

A full-time CBD officer worker, such as a council staff member, had their parking costs increase from $30 to $50 a week.

Mayor Troy Thompson at a Townsville City Council ordinary meeting. Picture: Shae Beplate.

“The CBD parking has had little mention, and after consulting with many businesses, it is clear parking meters need to be paused in the CBD as it is affecting business and their staff,” Mr Thompson said.

“It is no secret that our mall is fast becoming a ghost town, and this demonstrates the need to incentivise the community.”

The Chamber of Commerce’s chief executive Heidi Turner says she’ll be monitoring the outcome closely, and while it had for a long time sought to overturn paid parking in the CBD, its main focus was on stopping parking meters at The Strand.

CEO of the Townsville Chamber of Commerce Heidi Turner criticises the Townsville City Council’s parking meter plans at The Strand. Picture: Shae Beplate.

“There’s a number of people including Chamber that have advocated behind the scenes since the judgement in July,” Ms Turner said.

“And it’s really heartening to see that the councillors have taken on board the feedback from ourselves and from businesses across the city and are starting to lean towards voting against the extension of paid parking.

“We’re really keen for that to be extended to the whole city and help bring back life to the CBD.”

Councillor Brady Ellis had in the past defended a paid parking expansion in The Strand, Pimlico and South Townsville as financially necessary for the council’s bottom line. It may be unpopular, but “not everyone can be the fun dad”. Picture: Shae Beplate.

But Councillors Kurt Rehbein and Brady Ellis have their own proposals to stop further parking meter installation throughout the city, and they are unwilling to take it further to revoke CBD parking.

Mr Rehbein’s proposal was to prevent a paid parking rollout being brought back to the council until after the 2028 local government election, while Mr Ellis’s position would be to allow it as a possibility, if there was “sufficient evidence that there is a need and/or want” in the community.

Mr Ellis said CBD paid parking was motivating office workers to plan ahead, and park in areas outside the centrally based areas, or to use scooters or walk.

“If you were to remove it instantly, every single car park in the city would be filled up with office workers, and therefore none of the parks would be available, not a single one for shoppers, for tourists, for anyone coming into the city to be able to use,” Mr Ellis said.

“It sounds great in theory to make carparking free but at the detriment of local businesses.”

Previously he defended the paid parking expansion beyond the CBD as financially necessary despite its unpopularity, saying “not everyone can be the fun dad”.

And while he had softened his position, Mr Ellis said it was important to leave it as a possibility in the future.

Councillor Kurt Rehbein has pushed to stop a paid parking expansion across Townsville, believing the community has made it clear of its position not to support it. Picture: Shae Beplate.

Paid parking has been enforced in the CBD since 2001, and Mr Rehbein said there had not been enough study completed for councillors to confidentially vote in support of scrapping it entirely.

He was more focused on ensuring it did not happen at The Strand.

“Pausing it, there needs to be a body of work around it, in my view, right?” Mr Rehbein said.

“So there needs to be a, what are the pros and cons of doing so, what’s the cost to both the business, community, the revenue of council, there’s a whole lot of discussion points around that first motion there.”

Several attempts were made to contact Mr Jacob, a “conduit” between the mayor and the councillors, for his views on him announcing the chief executive position and whether he supported Mr Thompson’s paid parking motion, but he did not respond by deadline.

Originally published as Mayor Troy Thompson’s bid to scrap paid parking likely to be defeated