Spurred by an earlier meeting in which a Morrison trustee suggested the restaurant’s declining business could be solved by improving their food, city business owners descended on Morrison’s Jan. 21 board meeting in force. They again asked for help with parking issues they say are hurting their bottom line, and a restaurant called for action against trustee Paul Sutton.
Sutton, who made the critical comment, was not at this week’s meeting. He is out of the country and was unavailable for comment.
Board members said they listened to merchants’ concerns and agreed to take action to address their parking concerns, which range from heavy tickets and insufficient paid parking signage to a lack of parking in the off-season. high.
“We started paid parking for businesses because they wanted more traffic,” said Trustee John Leonard. “The whole idea was to support businesses. But they say it doesn’t work. If it’s hurting you, we need to fix it.”
Mayor Chris Wolfe asked the owners at the meeting to survey the entire city’s business community and come back to the Feb. 4 meeting with their recommendations. Meanwhile, the city will review the contract with Interstate Parking, which manages the toll system.
“Business, come to us with your plan,” he said. “We will discuss it and vote after that.”
The board’s plan went ahead following sometimes emotional comments from some city merchants, notably Tony Rigatoni and Rooftop Tavern owner Reza Ardehali. He asked the board to remove or sanction Sutton, saying his comments at the Jan. 7 meeting violated his responsibilities as a town trustee.
Ardehali, Morrison Inn owner Butch Luedtke and Morrison Holiday Bar owner Dave Killingsworth jointly presented their parking concerns at the Jan. 7 board. Sutton said parking was not to blame for their decline in business.
“Make your restaurants destinations where the food is good and people want to eat there,” he said, adding that he has had bad experiences eating at their establishments.
“Mr. Sutton’s despicable disrespect for the city’s restaurants should not be tolerated,” Ardehali said. “His public comment sent the message (that) the food in this city sucks (that it’s) bulletin board material for every other restaurant in the region. Why eat at Morrison’s — even city officials say the food there is terrible.”
Ardehali said Sutton has “fiduciary duties to the city” and cited a board resolution that trustees must support, value and respect the interests of the community.
“Listening to all viewpoints and facts with an open mind before deciding on an issue is another task in resolution,” said Ardehali. “However, during the hearing, Mr Sutton said: ‘I am done with this conversation. There is plenty of parking in the city.’
“This is a member who has sworn to represent me and this community. He must answer for that behavior,” continued Ardehali. “The city charter provides for the removal of a Trustee for wrongdoing. In this way, I ask the chairman to investigate and consider the sanctions against Mr. Sutton, including but not limited to his removal from the board.”
The board did not immediately respond to Ardehal’s request.
“I’m hurting, my business is hurting, we all are,” said Barbara Boudreaux, owner of La Boutique Des Boudreaux. “The finances should show this. It’s a parking lot now. I hope we can all keep jobs.”
Krista Gaasvig, owner of the Hungry Goat restaurant, said she is a fan of paid parking, but the system needs changes. She offered the board several possible solutions, including free parking during the slow months of January, February and March, a reduction in the hours in which paid parking applies and better signage.
“Parking is an issue that needs to be addressed and soon,” she said. “They tell me all the time, ‘I didn’t know it was paid.’ People are disappointed that they got a ticket and say I will never go back to Morrison. Improving signage would make sense.”
She also believes the city needs more parking.
“We’re a seasonal city,” she said. “You build your water treatment facility for maximum use. We need parking for maximum use.”
Morrison Holiday Bar owner Dave Killingsworth, who has repeatedly addressed the board about inadequate parking, spoke again on January 21.
“I’m not feeling the community,” he said. “I never really did. I would love for you guys to come out and take a break and see what you want to do to create the community here.
“You took a whopping $37 from me last year in sales tax,” he continued. “I want a refund. You are not helping us. I don’t know why the city of Morrison makes it so hard for any of the businesses to succeed.”
Several board members expressed their empathy and desire to help merchants, including Mayor Wolfe, who opened the meeting with a statement.
“We love our businesses, we love our residents, and we really want everyone to know that we’re working hard to represent and do the best we can,” he said. “We know there are hiccups from time to time.
“My father once told me for every problem, there is a solution,” he continued. “That is the position (of) our city manager and this board. We want to move forward and make sure you know we appreciate you.”
Morrison’s sales tax revenue fell from about $2.4 million in 2023 to $1.9 million in 2024, according to city records. Some of that can be attributed to the mid-October closing of Café Prague, a popular downtown Czech food restaurant.
During that time, the city received almost $300,000 in parking revenue, including parking fees and tickets, according to city documents.
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