Numerous residents and business owners attended the parking authority meeting Wednesday night to support a proposed parking garage downtown.

Chelynne Curci, Main Street Manager for Butler Downtown, presented the authority with 645 signatures on a petition asking the authority to build a parking garage as part of the Centre City project.

The petition was started by business owners following the authority’s decision to approve a surface lot intended only for the proposed Marriott Springhill Suites hotel.

“These signatures are of our own business owners, property owners, and shoppers in the businesses around that area,” Curci said. “I am excited to see the support.”

Curci urged the parking authority to work with city council and the redevelopment authority to find a way to pay for a parking garage.

“I feel confident a solution is out there,” she said.

Curci told the authority that she has already heard from multiple business owners who would be interested in buying long-term parking permits at a garage.

The parking authority announced at the meeting that it had rescinded the motion to approve a surface lot due to a state law mandating public parking authorities can only maintain primarily public lots.

Jim Chiprean, chairman of the authority, said his board will meet with city council and the redevelopment authority in a special meeting at the request of Mayor Tom Donaldson. A date for the meeting has not been scheduled.

Some of the business owners at the Wednesday meeting addressed the authority in favor of funding a garage.

Tom Graham, a city resident and business owner, said the garage is vital to the Centre City project.

“Parking is necessary in a city,” he said.

Graham said while he doesn’t want to see taxes raised on city residents, officials should remember that business owners have a stake in the city as well.

“Those business owners pay taxes too,” he said.

While multiple business owners spoke in favor of the garage, a couple of people expressed caution.

“I don’t want my taxes to pay for a parking garage,” said resident Bill Criley, who finished third in last November’s election for city council.

Criley said it shouldn’t be up to residents to pay a higher debt service tax.

Authority treasurer Jeff Smith said the city and authority would have to either raise parking rates citywide by up to $20 per month or raise the debt service tax by 2 mills. Criley thanked Smith for examining financial projections for the garage.

“I’m glad someone is finally looking at the numbers,” he said. “This should have been done years ago.”