Issue link: https://newsleader.uberflip.com/i/146256
BABY STEPS BACK A person preparing to put money in a parking meter on Main Street in May 2011 chats with a volunteer parking assistant. Photo by Norman Schimmel SIGNS CONTINUE TO BUILD THAT THE CITY OF SARASOTA WILL HAVE TO PUT PARKING METERS BACK ON THE STREETS TO GENERATE REVENUE By Stan Zimmerman City Editor Sarasota's despised, satirized and ultimately uprooted parking meters are gathering dust in a warehouse. But like the marching brooms of Disney's Fantasia, they may be on their way back. terprise in American cities — is running a $500,000 deficit. And next year, no change is expected. While the City Commission in its budget workshops earlier this month called for the Parking DiUnless every man, woman and child in the city vision to raise $250,000 more in the next fiswants to kick in $10 cal year than it has every year, only methis year, heads were ters can avoid crushIf you want a parking garage, scratched at City Hall ing debts and deficits you're gonna have to swallow the meters. on how to do that. at City Hall. This year The plan city commisthe city's Parking DiMarty Rappaport Chairman sioners approved is vision — normally St. Armands Business Improvement District counter-intuitive. Why a profit-making en-