Sweetwater commissioners agree to study parking options as student housing increases street parking pressure

Commissioner Benoit and city staff told the City of Sweetwater commission that rising student housing and new buildings are straining available on-street parking, prompting the city to pursue a parking study and modern payment options. Staff said two vendors, ParkMobile and PayByPhone, are under consideration and that a parking study would be paid for with CITT funds and brought to the commission later if above the mayor—s contracting threshold.

The discussion matters to residents in areas with new dorm-style housing because staff and commissioners said students sometimes park in front of residences and block driveways, leading to towing calls and neighborhood tension. Commissioners said the city wants data-driven solutions, not ad-hoc fixes.

Commissioner Benoit described recurring complaints in Area 1 near dorms, saying students sometimes block driveways and that residents calling police have seen towed cars but still feel targeted. He proposed exploring systems similar to Miami Beach or Coral Gables— approaches, including color-coded zones and pay-by-phone solutions. Finance Director Scott Middlesbrough told the commission the city is talking with ParkMobile and PayByPhone "to get rid of the parking meters that we have now that break often" and to allow remote payment and remote time extensions. He said the city will seek a single signage solution that lists both apps and that the vendors can support a parking study to maximize parking revenue and identify where additional spaces could be added.

Staff said the study could use CITT funds and that a contract would come back to the commission later in the year if the cost exceeds the mayor—s threshold. Commissioners noted 8 more buildings are expected to enter the city—s housing stock, increasing demand. Commissioner Turner pointed the commission to an existing residential parking code beginning at section 42-44 of the city code as a potential legal framework, and staff said the county attorney recently sent a letter to the state Department of Revenue about whether sales tax should be charged on parking; staff said the city believes on-street parking may not require sales tax but off-street city lots and city-owned garages would require collecting and remitting sales tax, subject to confirmation.

No formal action was recorded in the transcript. Commissioners emphasized the need for a planner and a parking study to establish data-driven rules, noted questions about tax treatment remain pending with the Department of Revenue, and said they will include residents in planning discussions.