The Georgetown Chamber of Commerce and Industry (GCCI) has joined calls for the revocation of the Parking Meter contract and believes that the business community and other stakeholders should maintain their protest efforts until this outcome is achieved.

In a statement the Chamber said it believes that it is irresponsible for the Mayor and City Council (M&CC) to continue with the metered system due to a lack of transparency during the implementation process, a lack of adherence to public procurement procedures, and the absence of feasibility studies and citizen consultations.

“The M&CC should remember that one of the most important qualities that citizens seek in elected officials is transparency and any attempts to bulldoze the populace with opaque contracts will not garner support, especially not from the Georgetown Chamber of Commerce,” the GCCI said.

The Chamber said it has received numerous complaints from its membership regarding the metered system and its negative effect on customer traffic and sales, “and we are concerned that conditions will worsen if the metered system remains in operation. ”

The Chamber also said it supports the M&CC’s efforts to engage in public-private partnerships for the purpose of raising revenue for the city, “but we do not support the flawed and in some cases, potentially illegal methods that the M&CC has employed in doing so. We urge the Mayor and Smart City Solutions to do right by the populace and revoke the contract.”