[{"_1":2,"_87":-5,"_88":-5},"loaderData",{"_3":4,"_26":27},"root",{"_5":6,"_17":10,"_18":19,"_20":21,"_22":10,"_23":-5,"_24":-5,"_25":10},"user",{"_7":8,"_9":10,"_11":10,"_12":-5,"_13":-5,"_14":15,"_16":-5},"roles",[],"isAuthenticated",false,"isPremium","planName","subscriptionStatus","featureFlags",{},"insightsBudget","isDevelopmentHost","userPreferences",{},"recaptchaSiteKey","6LcvOJcUAAAAAHsB-gPGfGktcRlKpH7OTIU_dMTD","isImpersonating","impersonation","affiliateStatus","isFreedomPortal","routes/v2/article/layout",{"_28":29,"_30":31},"notFound",true,"relatedArticles",[32,75],{"_33":34,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":40,"_41":42,"_43":44,"_45":46,"_47":48,"_49":50,"_51":52,"_53":54,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":60,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":66,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":73,"_74":73},"mediaId",6629469,"mediaKeyId","2703695-a8ae0bfe9c93ba25052624deab581845","parentId",2703695,"title","Downtown Parking Committee reviews draft budget: staff propose maintenance transfer to general fund, pause capital and tighten enforcement","audioSeconds",2026,"startMs",3182000,"endMs",5208000,"viewUrl","/Search/View?dp=1&key=2703695-a8ae0bfe9c93ba25052624deab581845&start=3182&end=5208","thumbnailUrl","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2703695-a8ae0bfe9c93ba25052624deab581845/thumbnail_3182000.jpg","articleUrl","/articles/6629469/Santa-Barbara-City/Santa-Barbara-County/California/Downtown-Parking-Committee-reviews-draft-budget-staff-propose-maintenance-transfer-to-general-fund-pause-capital-and-tighten-enforcement","mediaUrl","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6629469-83ff86722b7e546a851ee5e77c183b5c/orig.mp4?Expires=1771191493&Signature=HBuCn1qPsCQi9ADwPs07eLfY-DGt8DnuL0p3m3ckdysBrcBuWYLMLvgsYQliVQZxoAsYDQtfqJDTzBZZYbn9a8Dd2algaKBY-pe5vgmbYBTygEYaXmGk91xdkD1u~VhfDWGvXGav0OFu5xr0Z25NRs9RRFdCATevSOJpwl7ys7DLHollZQQq49Vn3LH5Kqdl~H4gfKtBZP3rWeMFEw~iohpl6ez-A81mP1O~ECFSR07RooqbEJXPccOW2kYoDmk-8quyPO9GPnAC8G~VqEW8KCDTJaOAw0oBvwPZ9vjawwCSrH0sn-L9xYGdSGUzWBfy4qXZ6bYFpkkOTAzQqejsDw__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","author","City Council of Santa Barbara, CA","date","2025-03-19T23:11:37.173Z","article","City staff told the Downtown Parking Committee on March 19 that the downtown parking fund is in a budget deficit and outlined a draft two-year plan of accounting and operational changes intended to close the FY2026 gap and buy time for longer-term planning.

Staff said one of the primary proposals is to transfer State Street Promenade maintenance costs — including landscaping, street sweeping and janitorial services — from the parking enterprise fund to the city’s general fund. Staff said that transfer, combined with pausing some FY2026 capital work, will materially reduce pressure on the parking fund; pausing specified capital items would defer roughly $300,000 of capital spending in the coming year.

Staff outlined several operational “tune-ups” intended to generate incremental revenue or reduce losses without a large one-time change to rates. Those measures included: piloting pay-by-plate, priced parking in the Helena (funk zone) lot to reduce time-limit violations and increase turnover; using technology to limit abuse of the 75-minute courtesy period so the system caps repeat free periods per vehicle per day; simplifying and standardizing on-street timed parking (making blocks more consistent so enforcement is easier); and piloting discounted employee and residential 24/7 permits to encourage appropriate long-term parking in garages rather than chronic short-term shuffling.

Regarding the courtesy period, staff said the municipal code already prohibits abuse of the free period but enforcement is difficult; they are working with their access-control vendor, Skidata, to implement measures that would cap free uses subtly and reduce the “75-minute shuffle.” Committee members discussed balancing enforcement with visitor convenience and public safety; staff said outreach would precede any substantive enforcement changes.

Staff recommended a pilot discount for 24/7 residential permits, lowering a sample price from $250 to $125 for the pilot (staff said the discounted 24/7 permit would be offered across the board for that product). They also proposed a discounted employee permit pilot for the Ortega garage to encourage appropriate commuter parking while other system elements are tightened.

Committee members asked about the cost and long-term effects of deferring capital maintenance. Staff acknowledged deferral carries escalation risk for repair costs over time but said the department will prioritize a structures and facilities assessment update to forecast long-term capital needs before committing to larger spending.

Staff said the Helena-lot pilot would move the lot from a posted 90-minute/PD-enforced time-limit model to a paid, monitored model with a pay-by-plate revenue-control approach similar to the waterfront, and that the lot showed over 85% violations in a sampled assessment. Staff explained the waterfront-style approach issues a fee-due envelope rather than an immediate citation and that a customer-service and enforcement plan and business outreach would precede any change.

The committee will receive an updated draft at its April meeting before the city’s May/June budget processes. Staff solicited additional feedback about the tune-up options and said more outreach and refining of numbers with finance is underway.

Votes at the meeting’s start covered procedural items: the committee unanimously approved minutes from Nov. 11, 2024, and voted unanimously to delay election of the 2025 chair and vice chair until the April meeting.","mediaType","Video","parentTitle","Downtown Parking Committee - March 19, 2025","oneSentenceSummary","Staff presented a draft two-year budget showing a deficit and recommended shifting State Street Promenade maintenance to the general fund, pausing selected capital projects to save about $300,000 next year, and operational tune-ups including paid parking pilots and limits on courtesy-period abuse.","taxTitle","Santa Barbara City, Santa Barbara County, California","taxId",4209,"location","headline","","shortSummary",{"_33":76,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":77,"_41":78,"_43":79,"_45":80,"_47":81,"_49":82,"_51":83,"_53":84,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":85,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":86,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":73,"_74":73},6629474,"Weekday parking occupancy edges up as permit holders rise; farmers market and film festival boost lot revenue",866,744000,1610000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=2703695-a8ae0bfe9c93ba25052624deab581845&start=744&end=1610","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2703695-a8ae0bfe9c93ba25052624deab581845/thumbnail_744000.jpg","/articles/6629474/Santa-Barbara-City/Santa-Barbara-County/California/Weekday-parking-occupancy-edges-up-as-permit-holders-rise-farmers-market-and-film-festival-boost-lot-revenue","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6629474-76cc5a277a91ad042282bee918dfdd2b/orig.mp4?Expires=1771191493&Signature=Nz-3pghFUd0uDIz-Wu6HtNINmL28bIBj1Jy~lG8g271sD-wfrszKQYTpelXjBIMFzByY5w64bO9Yk54smFVH47FqFFMuVMg88IdD66A~qZny5FxqTNwjYNp8p6AL9mDs5yq7r6tqzWwCBjS4GvJyOxZeN9qCJCoO2luvf2SsXWpbpgaUrAecqjKLp1Nfa0XawkvkXHXS~PPSREOe1DXbBhzEfDlVylC-Akhtn2ZSILgeVCMwC9HFkFI9VmZJSmMqRbe9al~AYfnHps0gG1vn1b7LGGHHDvmBTumg5DtRshncYPoQdpa~Xh1fg7WYHogd0zkt6SNESxuvQiL1cq7b6g__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","Ethan Pitney, downtown parking staff, told the Downtown Parking Committee on March 19 that weekday parking occupancy is rising modestly year over year as more drivers hold monthly permits.

Pitney said the “story for fiscal year ’25 is more permit holder occupancy,” noting about 300 additional permit holders compared with fiscal 2024, with roughly 200 of those coming from a commuter transition into Lot 10 and Lot 2 and about 80 coming from the county (40 permits in Lot 7 and 40 in Lot 6). That added permit volume, he said, is driving roughly a 5% increase in peak weekday occupancy across the system compared with fiscal 2024.

The data presentation gave a lot-by-lot picture of where demand is growing and where it has softened. Pitney highlighted Lot 7 as “very in demand,” saying staff stopped issuing new permits after occupancy approached an 85% threshold. Lot 10 showed about a 10% average peak increase Monday–Thursday, which Pitney attributed largely to the legacy COTA permit holders relocated there. Lot 9 saw a slight decline year over year — “roughly 5%” — which staff suggested could reflect temporary closures of nearby venues.

Events and program changes drove discrete shifts. Pitney said the city sold roughly 380 film-festival permits at a $50 flat rate that covered Lots 2, 6 and 10 during festival week; staff chose to include Lot 2 this year because it had additional capacity. He also showed that the farmers market’s relocation closer to State Street produced large midmorning and midday occupancy spikes in Lots 2, 3, 8 and 9, and nearly doubled short-term revenue at peak market times in those four lots (from about $1,000 to a little over $2,000 on one sample date). Pitney said revenue per vehicle was “slightly down” at market times because many visitors parked for less than 75 minutes and benefited from the courtesy period.

Pitney reported a longer-term trend in the mix of free versus paid hourly transactions: paid hourly transactions remain material but the share of free transactions rose to about 66% this year, and the average stay for hourly parkers has declined slightly. Committee members asked about the source of that change and whether it reflected more short visits or more use of courtesy periods.

Committee members and staff also discussed the Helena (funk zone) lot. Staff said a sample-day assessment found that more than 85% of vehicles there violated posted time limits under the lot’s current enforcement configuration, a signal staff cited as supporting a planned pilot to convert the Helena lot to paid, pay-by-plate parking and a revenue-control model similar to the waterfront operation. Staff emphasized outreach to nearby businesses and potential permit options for employees if the city converts the lot.

Committee members asked for future reports to include the number of spaces in each lot so percentage occupancy can be understood in absolute terms. Pitney agreed to add that information to subsequent reports. The presentation and questions will inform the committee’s budget discussion and the staff’s recommendations at the committee’s April meeting.

The committee heard no public comments on the occupancy presentation and had no formal votes tied to the occupancy report.","City parking staff reported about 300 more monthly permit holders this fiscal year, modest weekday occupancy gains and measurable revenue increases in lots adjacent to the relocated farmers market and during the film festival.","actionData","errors"]

Article not found

Downtown Parking Committee reviews draft budget: staff propose maintenance transfer to general fund, pause capital and tighten enforcement

Weekday parking occupancy edges up as permit holders rise; farmers market and film festival boost lot revenue