COLUMBUS, Ohio -- It costs more to park your car in Columbus because meter rates jumped about 50 percent last week.
The money will help backup funding for the new convention center hotel and the replacement of old parking meters.
Parking two hours at a meter went from $1 to $1.50 in the cheapest zone and from $3 to $4.50 in the highest-price zone Downtown.
But Columbus city council has been taking a closer look at the process behind raising the rates after business owners argued it was flawed at Monday night's city council meeting.
NBC 4 got answers from local businesses owners, city council and a city official.
"We urge city council to ask Director Kelsey to hold on raising meter rates until his department can conduct a proper analysis to substantiate the proposed rate hike," local restaurant owner Elizabeth Lessner said .
Many business owners are angry about the rate increase because they said it will kill business.
They argued the rate increase took them by surprise and that Mark Kelsey, the director of public service, kept them in the dark.
Kelsey, who has the authority to raise rates without the approval of city council, disagreed.
"We presented it to the media. We gave plenty of public notice, we believe," Kelsey said.
Kelsey explained business owners had the opportunity to speak out about the increase at meetings.
But when Columbus City Council President Michael Mentel questioned whether the process were open, Kelsey told him the meetings were done by invitation and not by public notice.
Councilwoman Charleta Tavares expressed her disappointment in the rate-increase process.
"I believe we should have had a public hearing on this. If we had done the serious outreach, if we had the impact study prior to the increase, everyone would have been served well," Tavares said.
Kelsey said that an advisory committee will conduct an impact study going forward. It will be comprised of business owners and city employees.
If they determine the meter rates are hurting businesses, the rates will be adjusted.
For additional information, stay with NBC 4 and refresh nbc4i.com -- Where Accuracy Matters.
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