City proposes $1 on‑street rate, absorb ParkMobile convenience fee to add ~$300,000 in parking revenue

Parking staff presented an in‑house analysis proposing to set the on‑street parking rate to $1 per hour and to absorb part of the ParkMobile convenience fee so that app and coin payments cost the same to users. James Folk, the city’s parking manager, explained that the ParkMobile transaction adds $0.55 per session while coin meters charge $0.60 per hour under current rates. The proposal would standardize the price to $1.00 and absorb $0.15 of the ParkMobile fee while keeping the remainder covered by the combined rate.

Staff projected that implementing the adjustment and absorbing the app fee would increase parking enterprise revenue by roughly $300,000 and would move the parking fund’s cash balance from negative to positive in FY2026. Folk said the parking advisory commission has not yet reviewed the plan because the commission missed recent meetings for lack of quorum; staff plans to brief the commission in August. The presentation included operational projects such as elevator upgrades, work at Fifth and Walnut, and ramp maintenance (a $650,000 ramp update was noted).

Why it matters: on‑street parking policy affects downtown visitors, commuters and downtown commerce; equalizing app and coin costs changes customer incentives, improves fairness for app users and provides additional revenue to cover parking enterprise deficits without general‑fund transfers.

Next steps: staff will present the proposal to the Parking Advisory Commission and bring a formal rate adjustment to the council as part of the FY2026 budget process; ParkMobile remains the city’s sole pay‑by‑app provider under a year‑to‑year contract, though other providers exist and the city can change providers.