First, create more free downtown parking

I can't believe the Cedar Rapids City Council is more concerned about developing new creations before it fixes what it has that needs repaired and protected from another flood. It is bad enough that businesses have to pay high taxes on their businesses and their customers have to feed a meter that out-of-town customers don't. Anything developed downtown will only cause more parking problems.

Instead of building new creations downtown, the city council needs to create more parking so the businesses downtown can compete and the city can throw the parking meters away. There is no reason why only the people doing business downtown have to pay for what we all use. Lack of parking is what caused the problem.

Allen Gage

Alburnett