Village of Butler votes to get rid of parking meters in effort to help local businesses

VILLAGE OF BUTLER, Wis. (CBS 58) -- A Waukesha County village will soon get rid of its parking meters.

The Butler Village Board voted in favor of the move which many believe will help local businesses. 

It's a decision that has been in the works for several years. During the last two years, the village looked at the impact parking meters are having on the area. It found people are less likely to spend more time in the village and in stores because of the meters.

Two hour parking spots will take the place of the meters. 

“The perception of the business community is that this is good for business," Village of Butler administrator Kayla Chadwick said. "That this will bring people to our community for longer periods of time, they will visit more than just the business they came here to visit.”

Additionally, taxpayers won't be impacted by the change. 

“We're very excited," Local business owner Matthew Kelley said. "The parking meters have been a problem all along. Our clients are constantly complaining that they don’t have change, we have a change dish up front that they can use to plug the meter, but then they have to go plug it again.”

The village plans on taking down the meters in the next two weeks. The two-hour parking will go into effect January 1, 2020.