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Council reviews two parking-rate proposals, leans toward keeping paid on‑street parking
Summary
City finance staff presented two options for updated on‑street and ramp parking rates; staff and several council members favored a plan that keeps paid on‑street parking, halves all‑day ramp rates and raises citation fees while preserving weekend exemptions for downtown merchants.
The Waterloo City Council held an extended discussion about proposed changes to on‑street and ramp parking rates and enforcement during a work session. Richard Wood, the city finance director, presented two proposals and projected revenue impacts from offering free on‑street parking.
Wood said the city’s parking consultant modeled revenue changes tied to free parking windows and a $1-per-hour base rate in metered areas. "If we were to offer 30 minutes of free parking, we could see a revenue reduction of around $55,000 a year. If we did 60 minutes free, it'd be roughly $74,000 a year. And if we did 90 minutes for free, it'd be roughly around $86,000 a year," Wood said.
The two options were: offer 60 minutes of free on‑street parking then $1 per hour after that, remove some "grab and go" locations, raise citation fees and add a citation‑forgiveness program; or keep no free on‑street parking, set $1 per hour, keep grab‑and‑go spots, increase citation fees and cut the all‑day ramp rate in half (from about $12 to $6) while keeping the first ramp hour free. Wood noted kiosk technology would allow coupon codes for businesses to prepay customer parking.
Council members questioned revenue tradeoffs. One council member asked Wood to translate estimated meter revenue losses into property tax levy impact; Wood said 30 minutes of free street parking equates to about a 2¢ increase on the levy and 90 minutes about 4¢. Council members favored the second proposal, which keeps on‑street paid parking and reduces the all‑day ramp rate, both to limit budget impacts and to begin building a dedicated parking fund, Wood said.
Council discussion also covered enforcement hours and citation structure. Under the proposals, the city would keep standard enforcement hours but add a second citation if a vehicle remained noncompliant after four hours and a third citation for not registering all day; towing would be considered after 24 hours. The council discussed keeping Saturdays free downtown to support merchants; the Mayor Pro Tem said she did not believe the city should start charging to park on Saturdays and said she favored proposal two.
Questions were raised about potential revenue loss from cutting the ramp all‑day rate in half; Wood said he did not have ramp usage detail on hand but could provide it. Council members also discussed repainting and new signage where meters were removed and enforcement of three‑hour limits at certain spots.
No ordinance change or new rates were adopted during the session; the council directed staff to return with follow‑up information, including detailed ramp revenue impacts and implementation specifics.
Votes at the meeting included approval of the session agenda and minutes, and a motion to adjourn. The council did not vote on the parking proposals at this session.
The council will consider additional information and a recommendation in a future meeting before any ordinance amendments or rate changes are adopted.
