MK Ideas Tech and Comers, the sister corporations that inked a 2011 concession deal with the Chapala government to operate a paid parking system in the downtown area, may be back in business after a five-year hiatus thanks to a ruling from an administrative tribunal.
At a September 17 press conference, partners Francisco Espinoza de los Monteros Cueto and Rodrigo Gutierrez told local reporters that the municipality has not complied with a recent court order allowing the joint companies to inspect, repair and resume operation of the parking meters installed along Avenida Madero, Paseo Ramón Corona and one block of Avenida Hidalgo.
The businessmen have been embroiled in a prolonged legal battle with Chapala City Hall since the government rescinded the 15-year contract in 2014. The company sued to claim the 44.6-million-peso penalty for revoking the concession that had been written into the contract. That case is still under consideration in Mexico’s Supreme Court.
Although most of the digital meters are badly damaged, the company executives say they can be put back in service within two months. Initially, user fees would be set at the original rate of six pesos per hour.
While the return of metered parking could help alleviate chronic congestion in the center of Chapala, the denouement of the complex legal dispute remains unknown.