Committee backs parking-division appropriation; treasurer details revenue, reserves and community programs

Treasurer Adam Lane told the Public Infrastructure and Utilities Committee on June 11 that the Parking Division operates as an enterprise fund that does not use general tax dollars and that, by state statute, about 40 percent of parking-division profits are transferred to the city’s general fund.

Lane, the city treasurer, reviewed FY25 performance and a proposed FY26 budget tied to Board Bill 22, an ordinance to appropriate operating expenses, capital costs, lease-purchase agreements and debt service for the Parking Division. He said the division manages on- and off-street meters, about 15 garages and lots, and the parking enterprise’s budgeted revenue was roughly $20,000,000 with expenditures near $18,000,000 in the most recent year.

The nut graf: Lane emphasized reserves and capital planning — noting a significant dip in reserves in 2020–21 after a one-time transfer of about $15,000,000 to general revenue before the pandemic — and described programs financed by parking revenue, including ticket amnesty, the juror shuttle and a nearly $500,000 program of fee waivers and permits that the division provides.

Lane told the committee the Parking Division pursues conservative revenue forecasts and cited shifts after COVID that reduced monthly parker counts as downtown office footprints shrank. He also described technology upgrades, security work in garages and a change in how the division procures event security — including a recent contract with the sheriff’s office to supply officers at major venues and garages to assist parking attendants and deter theft. Shirley Rutschick, the treasurer’s chief of staff, told the committee the sheriff contract was recently finalized for a one-year term with a 30-day termination clause.

The treasurer highlighted value-added programs funded with parking revenues: waiving fees for community events and job fairs, a juror shuttle provided at no cost to jurors, and the Office of Financial Empowerment. Adam Lane and Alderman Schweitzer described the Office of Financial Empowerment as funded from parking revenue at a little over $500,000 and cited the College Kids program (a youth savings account initiative) and other financial-coaching services.

Aldermen praised staff response to recent emergencies and the office’s community outreach. After brief committee discussion, the panel moved a due-pass recommendation for Board Bill 22. The motion to recommend passage was moved by the alderman from the Fifth Ward and seconded by the alderman from the Tenth Ward. The clerk’s roll call recorded four aye votes and one abstention; Alderman Boyd abstained because she said she had not heard the full presentation earlier.

Board Bill 22 passed out of committee with a due-pass recommendation and will advance to the full Board of Aldermen for further action.