The City of Charleston Finance Committee on June 4 approved Resolution 25‑49 adopting the fiscal year 2025–26 parking system budget, which staff said projects revenue to increase by about $46,000 (roughly 1.7%) and expenses to rise by about $52,000 (about 2%).

Andy Michaud told the committee that most of the revenue increase comes from leased‑lot income and stronger interest revenue. “Overall, next year, the parking system will still be operating in a surplus as it has for the last several years,” Michaud said.

Staff reported an anticipated $237,000 surplus that will be transferred to the maintenance and operations fund. Michaud said the maintenance fund has a balance of about $4,800,000 but that balance will be drawn down over the next few years as the city completes planned structural rehabilitation for multiple parking garages; a five‑year schedule for those repairs was included in the budget materials.

The budget includes modest increases related to PEIA and employee benefits and funds the purchase of several vehicles for parking operations, some of which were delayed from the prior year. Staff said larger structural repairs for the coliseum‑area garages were handled through a separate process: routine maintenance is managed by the Coliseum, while larger repairs are being combined across six garages by an engineering firm and will come forward as procurements when designs are complete. Michaud said there is a provision in the coliseum parking rates that directs 20% of those rates to a repair fund for major repairs.

Councilman Robinson asked whether the coliseum garages’ maintenance was included in the parking maintenance report; staff clarified that routine work is handled through the Coliseum and that larger anticipated expenditures for two Coliseum‑area garages had been covered in part from fund balance for stair and other repairs. Staff also confirmed that lease revenue sources identified in the budget include the city lot at the Holiday Inn Express by the coliseum and a leased lot near the ballpark rented by Woda Cooper.

Committee members approved the resolution by voice vote. Staff said they expect procurements for structural repairs to return to the committee as engineering and design work conclude.