Jacksonville Councilman Bill Gulliford drafted legislation to set a flat $2  parking fee in city garages for people attending meetings of the council and its  committees or special events at City Hall.

"I was trying to be somewhat citizen-friendly," Gulliford said. "We claim we  want more citizen participation in government and yet we make it difficult for  them to come downtown and find a place to park."

The nearest city-owned garage is a block east of City Hall, across the street  from the main library.

"This allows someone, instead of paying $10 or so for three hours, it allows  them to pay a flat fee of a couple of bucks," Gulliford said.

The city charges between $5 and $10 for "event parking" downtown and charges  $1.07 per hour at some locations.