WAUSAU, WI (WSAU) — The Wausau Capital Improvements and Street Maintenance Committee is not recommending any changes to the city’s snow emergency parking policies after a group of residents complained about a lack of off-street parking near their homes.
Public Works Director Eric Lindman says while searching the topic at the Committee’s request, he found several little-known and low-cost options for residents including a package of all-day parking passes for city ramps and lots. “They come in groups of 15. So you can buy fifteen all-day passes for $35. They don’t expire and can be used in any of the ramps. You just have to punch a code into the kiosk or on the app. Those end up [costing] about $2.40 for the day.”
That means a resident who would buy that pass can make arrangements to park their car in a downtown ramp or lot during a snow emergency no matter the time of day and retrieve their vehicle after the emergency is over.
Alder Lisa Rasmussen says she doesn’t feel the city should change parking regulations during a snow emergency just because some residents complained about the $100 ticket that comes with a violation. “I think to change any of this, to open up different regulations just because a few people got a $100 parking ticket is a bad idea. Our snow emergency penalties exist for a reason.
“It’s critical that [plows] be able to get in and get down some of our narrow streets and get people plowed out,” added Rasmussen.
Both Rasmussen and Lindman noted that the city only issues a handful of snow emergencies every year, and most typical years only feature two or three such declarations.
The committee did agree that the city should explore additional options for informing residents about snow emergencies outside the traditional media. That could include push notifications from a city app, text messages, automated phone alerts, or partnering with Marathon County to inform residents through its Everbridge information system.
“Some communication about what people’s options are, what is available that they might not know about, would certainly be helpful,” said Rasmussen.
RELATED: Wausau Committee Discusses Snow Emergency Parking Policy
The issue was brought to the committee in March at the request of District 6 Alder Becky McElhaney, who says she’s heard complaints from some of her residents that have struggled to find off-street parking for all of their vehicles during a snow emergency.
