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. . " ., Mayor Howard described the merchants group meeting she attended last week and said there was still a strong division among the merchants regarding parking meters, - but they all agreed it should be studied before committing to the installation of parking meters. She said the merchants seemed to agree that there should be consistency, if one street had meters they all should have meters. She suggested the City study the issue of parking meters, go ahead with the striping, but not the meters. 2) Open public hearing; Mayor Howard opened the meeting at 7:58 p.m. 3) Hear public comment; City Clerk Jorgenson asked all those about to give testimony in this matter to rise, raise their right hands and swear to give truthful testimony. The following did so. Manassa Abinader, owner of Spanky's, expressed his opposition to parking meters in the downtown area. Don Saye, 2021 expressed his opposition to parking meters in all of Redwood City, and said the abuse and the minuscule amount of money they generate are not worth the nuisance they create. - Mayor Howard asked if anyone else wished to speak. No one came forward, Community Development Direetor Nelson advised that if parking meters were installed at a later time, after the sidewalks were finished, there would be an additional cost and it would be borne by the City. She asked that Council approve the parking plan to allow the Developer to keep on schedule for their completion and Open House, but delay a decision on the parking meters. She asked that the Ordinance be approved, but, the implementation of it, installing meters, be delayed. She commented on the Police Department's involvement with enforcement issues in the downtown. Couneilman Claire said the meters were not installed to make money, but at the request of the merchants. He said the County parking garage had taken a lot of pressure off the downtown, and agreed with Vice Mayor Ruskin that the Council needed to study and evaluate this situation. In response to Council questions, City Attorney Sehrieker said, "To keep the project going forward, if the Ordinance was adopted it would be effective 30 days after its adoption. (The question is) do we have to install the meters right away, or can we hold off. The answer is you can hold off. You don't have to implement the Ordinance immediately, but you realize that authorization provides a legislative authorization... You could withhold the implementation. The danger is, of course, you have legislated - in one given direction, by taking that act, and on the books you will have a law that REGULAR COUNCIL MEETING MINUTE BOOK NO. 56 NOVEMBER 17, 1997 MINUTES Page No. 037 PAGE 6