It’s time to pay attention to big issues soon to be decided in Butler. The possible closure of as many as seven elementary schools by the Butler School District, and a decision on whether or not a parking garage will be built in the city, will be debated and possibly decided in the coming days and weeks.

Whatever decisions are made in both cases, Butler will likely be a different place one year from now. That could good — or not so good.

Both issues have attracted public interest and should continue to do so. Residents, businesses, parents and taxpayers will all be impacted by the decisions being made by school officials as well as the city council and parking authority.

The school-closure debate is a response to steadily declining enrollments in the Butler district. After years of shrinking populations of school-age children, the district’s buildings have an average occupancy of just 55 percent. Proposals for closing up to seven elementary schools and reconfiguring the non-elementary buildings are projected to save about $5 million a year in a $100 million budget.

Seeing value in neighborhood schools, a parents group is developing an alternate plan that would not close all the city’s elementary schools, but would close the junior high school, requiring changes at the middle school and high school. The goal of the alternate plan is to preserve some neighborhood schools in the city, while still saving district taxpayers millions of dollars a year through some school closings.

While saving the school district money is important, most people involved in the discussion do agree that the impact on education, including class size issues, should also be considered — as well as how closures might change the character of the city. The alternate-plan group argues closing seven elementary schools would drive some families out of the city, making the district’s declining enrollment problem worse.

The next meeting focusing on school consolidation will be at 6 p.m. Nov. 5 at the intermediate school auditorium. An additional meeting is set for Nov. 24.

Any of the school-closure plans, whether shuttering seven or just three schools, will change Butler in the coming year — and for years to come.

While school consolidation is about adapting to declining enrollment, the parking garage debate is about trying to encourage growth. With the Rite Aid drugstore under constrution and the proposed Marriott Springhill Suites hotel set to break ground, the parking garage debate erupted when the city parking authority voted to drop the garage plan in favor of a cheaper surface lot, with no public parking spaces. After downtown business protested the loss of public parking, the parking authority re-opened the issue by rescinding the vote to build the surface lot.

But much disagreement remains about the best way forward. There is broad concern over the debt required to build a parking garage. But some officials and many business owners worry that without adequate parking provided by a multilevel garage, business will be hurt and the ability to attract new businesses will be weakened. They point out that the original Centre City plan included a drugstore, a hotel and a tier parking garage. That was the assumption for most of the past year — until a few weeks ago, when there was a vote for a surface lot with only parking for the hotel and Rite Aid.

Much like the school-closure plan, the garage-versus-surface lot debate will shape the city’s future. A tier garage will mean additional debt, but garage supporters argue parking revenue can cover the debt. They note that a parking garage was a key part of the Centre City plan and losing parking will hurt the city.

The parking issue will be discussed at a meeting involving the city council, parking authority, city redevelopment authority and developer of the hotel. The meeting is set for 7 p.m. Tuesday at city hall.

Mayor Tom Donaldson said he expects a decision to be made at Tuesday’s meeting on how to proceed with a parking solution. But while getting the parking issue solved quickly is important, it’s hard to see how one joint meeting, the first with all the interested parties, can produce a good, well-thought out solution.

The Centre City parking issue was thought to be settled. Now, it’s suddenly in play again, with key players trying to balance revenue projections with the burden of added debt. Everyone involved should also consider what parking means to Butler if there is any hope for growth in the city.

The issue needs to be resolved, and soon. A quick decision will be welcomed, but the right decision, based on having all the necessary information, is even more important.