Greedy Montgomery County Council to gouge you again for parking in Bethesda

The Monopoly Guy, like free parking, is nowhere to be found in downtown Bethesda. Starting on "or around" July 5, the Montgomery County Council will celebrate American independence turncoat style with further taxation of your vehicle in Bethesda.

The new ransom, er, rates will be:

On-street parking: $2.25/hour
Surface lot parking: $1.50/hour
Garages 40, 49, and 57: $1.25/hour
Garages 11, 31, 35, 36, 42, and 47: $1.00/hour

Just what every downtown Bethesda business owner wants to hear, right?

Well, the Council has to pay for their $137,000(!!) a year salaries somehow. The City Council in Bell, California did the same thing, raising "enormous property taxes" and fees while giving themselves massive salary increases, and ended up in jail. Our Council? Mysteriously, still on the loose - and their salaries are higher than the Bell Council got!

Implementation of the "rate adjustment" will be staggered. Rates on-street will increase on July 5, rates in Garages 11, 31 and 49 will increase on July 10, and rates in the balance of the off-street facilities will be phased in after July 10 over the following weeks and months.

Voters will likely implement their own "adjustment" to the Council in November 2018.

"BETHESDA PARKERS MUST PAY MORE!!" SAYS MONTGOMERY COUNTY COUNCIL

The Montgomery County Council has concluded you still have too much spending money, and darn it if you aren't spending too much of it at Bethesda shops and restaurants!

So, once again, the council is initiating another one of what they call, "conversations."

We know what the conversation is: it's the council asking you, "What's in your wallet?"  That's all they ever do.

Yesterday, a council committee heartily endorsed the following parking fee increases for the Bethesda central business district (new cost in bold):

Long-term parking: from 75 cents to 80 cents an hour
Monthly pass: from $140 to $150
Short-term parking: from $1 to $1.25 an hour


It's outrageous.

Note that Silver Spring will continue to be subsidized by us.  Parking will continue to be cheaper in downtown Silver Spring.  So when you park and have dinner at American Tap Room at Bethesda Row, you're not only paying the full charge for yourself, but for a portion of the parking fee for the guy who's dining at Romano's Macaroni Grill in Silver Spring at the same time.  Ain't it cool?

The full council will vote on the increase this month.

They don't seem to be in touch with the current financial pressures downtown Bethesda businesses, workers, residents and visitors are under.

But then, when are they?  It's interesting that there is a claim that the county is short on revenue.  So why is the current budget proposal bigger than last year's?  If we can't afford more, why would we spend more?

Eliminate 3 parking lots, make parking more frustrating, and now make it more expensive.

Boy, that county council sure knows how to help Bethesda businesses!