An editorial from The Intelligencer/Wheeling News-Register
WHEELING, W.Va. — When downtown shopping districts in our area were booming, parking meters were important not just to produce revenue for communities but also to assist businesses. The idea was to discourage people from parking their cars on the street and leaving them there all day or evening, while shoppers searched in vain for parking spaces.
Bellaire Village Council members talked this week about removing parking meters to cut municipal expenses.
Councilman Josh Meyer said parking meters will cost the village about $2,200 this year – without even considering expenses for municipal employees who work with the meters.
The cost-benefit equation is not that simple, however. Another consideration is whether eliminating meters would cut into revenue from the village parking lot…
