Parking will remain free on Saturdays for the foreseeable future.

Mayor Christopher Louras’ veto of a measure to enforce the parking meter ordinance stood at the close of Monday’s Board of
Aldermen meeting. Alderman Gary Donahue made a motion to sustain the veto, but that motion failed for lack of a second and, it turns out, was unnecessary.

“We didn’t do anything,” Donahue said Tuesday. “By not doing anything, we sustained the veto. We didn’t take any action and it just died right there.”

Donahue said Alderman Jon Kiernan attempted to have the issue sent back to committee, but that motion failed for lack of a second.

Even without the veto, City Attorney Andrew Costello had said the board’s action was likely invalid as it was based on a misunderstanding of the ordinance.

When the board met March 4, the members voted unanimously to support what they believed was the current policy of the police chief, who they believed had authority over the subject, to enforce the parking ordinance Monday through Saturday.

Shortly after that vote, however, Mayor Louras said that the police chief had no such policy and blamed the belief to the contrary on a miscommunication. A review of city records found that the board has the authority to set the times of enforcement and voted in 1994 to enforce it Monday through Friday.

For the complete story, see Wednesday's Rutland Herald.