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Council approves amended downtown parking management deal; city projects $2.2 million first‑year revenue
Summary
The city approved an amended and restated operations and management agreement with Car Park to manage downtown parking, including equipment upgrades paid by the contractor and reimbursed over five years. City staff projected the new strategy would generate about $2.2 million over a 12‑month rollout.
The Wichita City Council on May 20 approved amendments to the city’s operations and management agreement with Car Park to implement a revised downtown parking management strategy. The amended agreement updates the managed area, management fees, contract term and reimbursement schedule for infrastructure investments Car Park will initially pay for and the city will reimburse from the downtown parking fund over five years.
Why it matters: City staff said the revised strategy is intended to increase parking revenue and improve operations and enforcement downtown. Assistant City Manager Troy Anderson told the council the implementation could generate approximately $2.2 million over a 12‑month period under the new approach. Under the agreement, Car Park will acquire, install and maintain parking meter infrastructure and other capital investments; the company will initially fund equipment and be reimbursed by the city over time.
Oversight and audit questions: Council members asked about the parking audit requested during earlier council reviews; staff said an audit had been performed and the auditor had briefed council members, and that some parts of the audit contain delinquent accounts that may limit public disclosure. Council directed staff to discuss audit findings publicly in a June workshop if legally permissible. Council members also asked whether some storage space clauses and cleaning/maintenance responsibilities in the contract would require additional city resources; staff replied that storage needs are accommodated in existing garages and that increased janitorial and cleanliness management is included in the management fee.
Action and next steps: City council approved the amended agreement and the associated budget adjustment. City staff said Car Park will continue to absorb initial capital costs and the city will reimburse eligible expenses from the downtown parking fund. Staff also said the agreement anticipated future adjustments (for example, Old Town CID changes) and that some aspects—such as any point‑reward redemption programs—would be brought back to council for approval before implementation.
Ending: Council members asked for public visibility into the parking audit and pledged to review implementation results in upcoming workshops.
