AHOSKIE – As things turned out, a public hearing is not needed.

At their March 11 meeting, members of the Ahoskie Town Council approved a motion to conduct a public hearing on April 8 in regards to the creation of a two-hour parking zone on the north and south side of Main Street between Mitchell and Railroad streets.

Now, it’s been learned the public hearing is not needed.

“After doing some additional investigation, I’ve learned that the North Carolina General Statutes does not require a public hearing when changing parking times,” Ahoskie Town Manager Tony Hammond said.

Hammond said the council discussed this new information during their annual retreat this past weekend. Following that discussion, council approved a two-hour parking zone on the aforementioned areas of Main Street.

The new parking restrictions will take affect as soon as the signs are erected. Once that occurs, two-hour parking will be enforced on weekdays between the hours of 6 a.m. and 5 p.m.

At the March 11 meeting, Hammond said this particular issue only deals with Main Street parking between Mitchell and Railroad streets. He said further two-hour parking may be considered on a case-by-case basis as requested by downtown business owners.