For the second time this month, Butler City Council has voted against a proposal to sell some parking assets to a private company.

Council members on Thursday voted 3-2 not to accept a revised proposal from PFS VIII LLC to buy the tier garage for $3.5 million.

Councilmen Bob Dandoy, Mike Walter and Kenny Bonus voted against the motion, and Mayor Ben Smith and Councilman Jeff Smith voted in favor.

The council members voted the same way March 11 against a $3.75 million proposal from PFS to buy the garage and the two parking lots adjacent to the City Building.

The amount of the offer and the elimination of the two lots were the major changes made to the proposal that was voted down Thursday.

Another change would have allowed the city to increase the parking violation fine to $15, with a $2 annual increase for five years. The current fine is $10. The first proposal called for increasing the fine to $35.

Monthly parking permits for the garage would have increased to $85 from the current $65.

Ben Smith said PFS eliminated the two lots and reduced the parking fines in its new proposal after learning council members expressed concerns about those elements of the sale at the March 11 meeting.

“To divest assets that generate revenue doesn't seem like a prudent thing,” Bonus said.

He said he would like to see a long-term financial analysis of the impact of the sale, and the issue could be revisited in the future.

Bonus said he believes council has a duty to care for the city's assets instead of selling them for an infusion of money.

“This is a sad day for the city of Butler,” Jeff Smith responded.

He said the vote is proof that the concerns of citizens takes a back seat to a “cabal of friends” who secretly run the city.

Dandoy angrily responded, saying it is wrong for council to abdicate power and city assets.

The revised proposal did not change his opinion, he said.

Mark Vergenes, the city's parking consultant, said he contacted PFS after the March 11 council meeting, and the company agreed to revise its offer to address concerns expressed by some councilmen.

He said PFS was prepared to spend $500,000 on repairs to the garage. The revised offer also called for the city to receive $5 from each parking citation.

PFS was also willing to create special parking rates for tenants and people who work in town, he said.