You can’t fight city hall? A Caldwell man rallied fellow residents to prove otherwise

It’s not easy to go up against your local government and win.

But one Caldwell resident found out this year that with enough determination – and public outcry – it is possible.

When Eric Phillips, 42, was growing up in Caldwell, the city’s downtown wasn’t anything special. Now that he’s an adult, things look different. Indian Creek Plaza opened in 2018, and its mix of restaurants, coffee shops, a stage, park spaces, outdoor seating, splash pads in the summer and an ice rink in the winter make it one of the more charming public squares in the Treasure Valley.

“I started noticing more people downtown,” Phillips told the Idaho Statesman. “It felt like we had a heartbeat, finally, for the city.”

The plaza became so popular that it was difficult to find a parking spot during peak times, according to Mayor Jarom Wagoner.

One solution suggested by leaders was to install parking meters. A City Council vote in December on such a measure resulted in a tie, with the mayor stepping in to break it – in favor of putting in the meters.

Many people, Phillips among them, expressed strong disapproval of the decision.

“This is not a dictatorship,” Council Member Diana Register said at the December meeting. “What happens in the city should not solely be based on the preferences of the mayor and council.”

The meters were installed, and in May, the city began charging downtown motorists $1 an hour to park on weekdays from 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. and Saturdays from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. The first 15 minutes were free.

Phillips, who ran for a City Council spot last year, is the Caldwell School District’s security director by day and a Caldwell social media personality by night. He said he has always tried to keep up with city business, but nothing galvanized him more than the meters.

“The parking meters were not aesthetically pleasing, had several technical issues, had an app that has had millions of victims of identity theft, is selling users information if you don’t opt out, and is owned by a company in Sweden,” Phillips said in a Facebook post. “Not to mention there wasn’t a Spanish-language option for such a large Spanish-speaking population. The meters were confusing for many.”

Canyon County’s population is 26% Latino, according to the most recent Census data.

Phillips said he remembered growing up without much money and worried families in similar situations would no longer feel they could afford to spend time downtown, because every dollar counts.

“It changes everything,” Phillips said. “It becomes like a Disney World – pay to play.”

Phillips was able to rally the people of Caldwell to his cause and do the nearly impossible: He helped convince the City Council to overturn its decision.

Parking in downtown Caldwell became free again on Aug. 30 after a second vote.

“I see a lot of people on social media saying that the council doesn’t care and that we’re just going to do whatever we want,” Register said at that meeting. “But it was your voice that actually brought all this forward.”

Phillips spoke to the Statesman about the steps he took to try to change the city’s mind, and his advice for others looking to do the same.

‘Pay attention’ to your city, use platforms for awareness

Phillips’ biggest recommendation to people looking to make changes in their community is to take notice of what’s happening.

He suggests that residents read their council and county board of county commissioners’ agendas, which outline what leaders plan to discuss each week.

“A lot of people just do not pay attention,” Phillips said. “You’ve got to pay attention to what’s going on in your community.”

When Phillips decided to fight the meters, he already had a leg up: a social media platform. Phillips is the creator and administrator of the popular Caldwell, Idaho Community and Crime Facebook group, which has nearly 21,000 followers.

He created it in 2021 after the COVID-19 pandemic to engage people in community happenings. Caldwell residents can discuss everything from a new bakery opening to crime concerns and lost pets.

“I wanted to make a push for people to be aware of what’s going on in Caldwell’s Parks and Rec stuff, city stuff, maybe the police department,” Phillips said.

While Phillips was upset about the meters, he realized many in the community didn’t know it was even heading to a vote. He began posting information taken from City Council meetings and even video clips of the discussion. People started avidly following along, soon growing as interested in the issue as he was.

Have ‘controversial conversations’ and get involved

Phillips said the most challenging part of the parking meter saga was being willing to have “controversial conversations.” It was uncomfortable to push back against those who supported the meters, particularly members of city government, but Phillips said it’s the only way change can happen.

Phillips said his background in the military and policing helped him stay committed, even when facing opposition.

“I’m just used to, no matter what, you got to get the job done,” Phillips said. “And that can be a scary perspective, especially when you’re employed, and you don’t know who knows who or what. You know you don’t want people to egg your house.”

His house made it through egg-free, as he posted the date, time and location before each meeting in which the City Council planned to discuss the parking meters. Soon enough, people who saw his posts began showing up.

“It wasn’t like, get your pitchforks and go burn the place down,” Phillips said. “It was just, ‘Hey, come speak.’”

That physical presence at the meetings helped send the message that community members cared, according to Phillips.

Find allies and don’t stop working

Phillips quickly found another group staunchly opposed to the parking meters: downtown Caldwell businesses. Mony Contreras, manager of Mexican restaurant and grocery store Carniceris Mi Tierra, told the City Council that he’d noticed fewer people staying to browse the store as they took their orders to go so that they could get back to their cars before the free 15 minutes expired.

“The businesses, when they went up and complained several meetings in a row, it really gave an even larger voice,” Phillips said. “Their complaints were extremely important.”

Things got especially bad for local businesses when residents began boycotting the meters by avoiding downtown altogether. Chop Shop BBQ owner Kristopher Ott estimated that he lost $20,000 in revenue within six weeks.

“I felt like the whole community was frustrated by it that last City Council meeting where they voted,” Ott told the Statesman. “All the business owners were there, all the landlords were there, everybody was on the same page. It was really nice to see the community stand up together and say, ‘You know what? This doesn’t work for us. You need to fix it.’”

While the parking meters are gone for now, Phillips is worried they won’t stay that way. He wants to pass a city ordinance to ensure on-street parking meters are kept out of Caldwell for good. He’s begun collecting signatures to get a measure on the November 2025 ballot that would give voters the opportunity to permanently ban the city from charging for on-street parking.

He has until February to collect at least 858 signatures from registered Caldwell voters.