Eureka unveils expanded Passport parking program and new metered lots for Old Town

City of Eureka staff presented a plan Sept. 24, 2025, to expand paid parking across Old Town and downtown using Passport, a mobile payment and enforcement platform, and to convert a set of city lots to monitored, paid status. The council did not vote to finalize a contract at the meeting but discussed timeline, enforcement, permit integration and revenue uses.

Project manager Jay Wartelboer told council that the city will add 12 monitored off‑street lots and continue several free lots along Waterfront Drive and adjacent to the Adorni Center. The proposed meter rate for new lots is $1.10 per hour, with a Passport transaction fee of 35 cents per transaction; existing employee/tenant permits (currently $50 per year) would be integrated by vehicle plate so permitted vehicles are not ticketed. Passport also allows users to extend parking via the phone app, receive expiration alerts, and supports multiple card networks. The contract term under consideration is 36 months.

Wartelboer said enforcement will use license‑plate scanning in an enforcement vehicle to identify paid or permitted vehicles, and that staff will maintain cash‑pay and city‑hall payment options for customers who do not use the mobile app. Director Wheeler told the council staff intends to begin with off‑street lots, evaluate results, and then consider on‑street rollouts and additional signs; staff expects to return with contract details and a proposed schedule over the coming months. Council members asked about projected revenue, how revenues would be used and public outreach; staff said initial revenues will support deferred lot maintenance, enforcement staffing and parking operations, and could be earmarked for parking improvements.

Council members asked that staff coordinate outreach with local business groups — Eureka Main Street and the Henderson Center — ahead of rollout, and noted the ability to adjust rates and operational hours by lot. No final implementation date was set; staff said a phased launch within months and a larger on‑street rollout within a year are possible depending on contract finalization and public engagement.

Votes at a glance: council took no final contract vote at the meeting.