THE IDEA OF PARKING METERS Downtown didn't thrill me at first. It brought to mind the time I raced through downtown Monterey dragging two small, cranky children only to find the meter had expired and a ticket was already sitting on my windshield.

But today's high-tech parking meters are a little different. The new WiFi-enabled, solar-powered variety allow you to pay with a credit card for unlimited time or you can remotely put extra time on your parking spot from any meter in the network. Some of them even call your cell phone if your time is expired.

The idea behind the meters Downtown is to allow turnover and provide spaces to people who need to get in and out of the coveted nearby slots quickly.

The idea grew on me the day I needed to get a surfboard worked on at Wet Sand Downtown and had to park nearly in Oxnard because it was so crowded. As I walked blocks and blocks with a longboard, taking down pedestrians in my wake, the idea of being able to find nearby parking seemed quite appealing.

The Downtown Ventura Organization is gung-ho on this idea. Not only will it allow turnover, but any net revenues could go to extra police, maintenance, landscaping, a new parking structure, benches and signs Downtown.

The City Council voted Monday night to officially establish a plan to install the meters on spaces on Main and side streets which are currently 85 percent utilized. Residents would receive special permits. The parking structure and lots would still be free.

Interestingly, the plan is being paid for indirectly by the City of Oxnard. Ventura is paid traffic mitigation fees from the River Park development and a loan will come from this fund.

AND ON ANOTHER FRONT: The council ended the rental housing inspection fee brouhaha quickly last night with a vote to simply shift building inspectors from the city's Construction Permits program into the City's Code Enforcement program with the goal of reducing substandard housing in general. This is a good idea, since building has slowed across town due to the bad economy. Cost recovery for the program would be paid through an already established fine system for rental code violators.

Landlords packed Council chambers in December complaining about several of the alternatives of a plan to regulate one- to three-unit rentals, which are now entirely exempt from taxes. I covered this issue in more detail in a past entry.

City staff acknowledged their lack of finesse in handling this matter, which brought out 47 speakers to a recent meeting, including the usual suspects who this time accused city staff of trying to force senior citizens out of their houses through the proposed program.