City Auditor Christina Rose presented an internal audit of downtown parking garages and related contracts, detailing lease structures, unresolved receivables under dispute and nine recommendations to strengthen parking‑fund management, billing and public reporting.

Rose reviewed several garages and noted multiple lessees and subleases. She said some lease invoices are under dispute and that internal audit has asked for better documentation and for the city to take responsibility for issuing monthly bills rather than relying on lessees. Rose said one issue affecting WaterWalk Garage was missed price increases between 2022 and early 2025, producing an identified $6,790.20 of lost revenue that staff plan to recover.

Rose said internal audit has recommended a clearer financial structure in the city’s accounting system, more detailed periodic public statements on the parking fund, updated lease and development agreement language, improved internal controls for transactions and a formal parking‑fund management policy that sets rate and asset rules. She said most recommendations are accepted and in process.

Downtown parking manager Stephanie Knable described immediate operational steps: Martin & Martin has been hired to assess the eight parking structures; individual reports are due in the fall and the assessments will inform a multi‑year maintenance plan and a tentative $2.25 million per year budget for deferred maintenance in the CIP. Knable said structural assessments and maintenance schedules will be incorporated into next year’s CIP planning.

Knable also described the near‑term paid‑parking rollout: installation of roughly 25 new pay stations and signage will start the week of the meeting, with paystations turned on July 1. Car Park will provide initial enforcement while staff focus on customer education; parkwichita.com will be the public information hub. A buy‑one‑get‑one free promotion for app users is planned July 1–Aug. 1 to encourage adoption. Staff said several lessees have receivables under dispute and that the city prefers to resolve disagreements before pursuing legal action.

The council paused the broader parking plan last year to allow this review; staff said the audit and assessments will guide revisions and funding requests that will return to the council for consideration.