Hamilton County Judge Robert Winkler announced March 20 that he will extend the restraining order on the city’s parking plan until April 3, potentially delaying any ruling on the city’s plan to lease its parking assets to the Port of Greater Cincinnati Development Authority for another two weeks. The delay does not necessarily mean a ruling is delayed until April 3, and it is possible Winkler could rule before then, according to his office.
Meg Olberding, city spokesperson, says the city is approaching a “pressure point” with the latest delay. “We respect the court’s right to do that (the extension), and know that every day that we cannot make the parking deal happen is a day that we are closer to having to lay people off,” she says.
Olberding says the city is so far unsure what the exact effect of the delay will be. The city has repeatedly warned that extending the legal conflict for too long will force the city to make cuts to balance the budget for fiscal year 2014, which begins July 1.
