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Staff outlines FY26 parking budget implementation: Helena lot pilot, courtesy-period question and discount permits
Summary
Parking staff reviewed FY26 implementation and tune-ups: reconnecting Helena lot pay stations, pausing most capital projects in FY26 while advancing a facilities assessment, piloting commuter and resident discount permits in Lot 10, and flagging a fee-resolution/courtesy-period change that was not approved and requires further council action.
At the July 10 Downtown Parking Committee meeting, city parking staff reviewed fiscal year 2026 implementation steps and “tune-ups” to the adopted parking budget. Staff described measures intended to increase turnover and revenue, and noted several items requiring further council approval.
Ed (staff name in record) told the committee the adopted FY26 budget moved some State Street maintenance and custodial costs from the parking enterprise fund to the general fund under a new downtown services umbrella. The transition includes approximately $1.3 million annually for State Street maintenance and custodial work; the city is also negotiating with the Downtown Santa Barbara Improvement Association to take on some custodial responsibilities under contract.
Staff said they pruned the five-year capital-improvement program for FY26, deferring paving and other preventative projects while advancing a facility and structural assessment for older garages. Essential maintenance funds and revenue-control agreements remain in place for critical systems that are near end of life.
Specific tune-ups discussed: - Helena lot pay station pilot: staff is reconnecting the pay station, updating merchant accounts and preparing signage and messaging. Staff said enforcement of that lot will require a municipal-code/ordinance review to ensure the legal authority to require payment in that location is clear. - Courtesy-period limitation: staff had proposed a fee-resolution change to restrict the system’s daily courtesy period (to reduce “shuffling” and repeated short visits). The committee was told that the fee-resolution change was not approved in the budget adoption and therefore staff cannot operationally restrict courtesy periods until the city council adopts a revised fee resolution; staff estimated that curbing the abuse might yield roughly $250,000 in revenue but said further refinement of the policy language is needed to avoid unintended consequences for visitors. - Discount and permit pilots: staff said commuter-permit rates were standardized (legacy commuter permits moved to a $70 rate) and that Lot 10 (Ortega Garage) is piloting discounted 24/7 permits at $125/month (down from a previously higher rate) and commuter discounts. Staff also reduced the locals’ “weekender” permit from $100 per six months to $80 and extended weekend hours to include Fridays. - Process improvements: staff plans to roll out enhanced e-commerce permit functionality (Skidata module) to simplify permit purchase and renewal, and to transition residential-permit management to a more automated system later in the year.
Committee members asked for clarity on signage and outreach related to any courtesy-period change and requested that staff keep business owners (including Paseo Nuevo) informed about permit and pricing changes. Staff said they would prepare communications and continue collaborating with business stakeholders. No fee-resolution change was enacted at the meeting; staff said it will return if a revised fee resolution is proposed to council.
Staff also noted that capital spending is likely to resume in FY27 after the assessment work.
