Council debates parking garage technology, enforcement and timeline for citywide rollout

Sedona City Council discussed details of the proposed Uptown parking garage and a citywide parking management system, including license‑plate recognition, kiosk and app options, enforcement approaches and timing.

Lance Lunsway, staff member overseeing parking work, described a technology approach that would use license‑plate recognition to identify vehicles and allow users to pay at a kiosk or with a smartphone. “We—ll see their their tag, and then when they activate a parking, time, they—ll either go to a kiosk, or they—ll just do it on their phone,” Lunsway said. He said the system would be able to integrate with multiple payment vendors and that conduit and physical allowances are being included to permit future gates if the city later decides to add them.

Councilors raised practical and equity questions. Several asked what happens when a plate is obscured, when a rental vehicle user does not know the plate number, or when tourists unfamiliar with local plate rules arrive. Staff answered that a kiosk or app can accept manually entered plate numbers as a fallback and that spot enforcement and coordination with the city—s parking enforcement officers (CSOs) would be part of the compliance plan. Lunsway said the system would be designed so gates could be added later if needed, but staff also described an initial configuration that could operate without gated arms (an honor‑system entry), supplemented by spot enforcement.

Councilors pressed the timing and scope. The agenda bill describes a target of “operational by fall 2025” for parking management, but staff told council that date represents a target and that the schedule depends on consultant selection, procurement and integration testing. Staff said they are selecting a parking consultant to help define the recommended technology, rollout sequencing and the broader citywide integration so the parking platform can later be extended beyond the garage to surface lots.

The council also discussed employee parking and potential employer pass programs. Staff said the city—s role would be to coordinate discussions and that the Sedona Chamber of Commerce had agreed to participate in conversations about employer and business preferences. Staff emphasized the city is not planning to underwrite employee parking but would help facilitate options such as employer‑purchased passes to reduce residential spillover.

Other operational questions included the accuracy of stall‑count sensors (staff estimated 90–95% accuracy with multiple camera angles), whether one or multiple payment vendors should be allowed and whether staffed booths should be retained as a contingency. Lunsway and other staff noted plan B options (gates) and plan C (staffed booth) are possible but would increase operations costs.

No motion or vote was held on garage procurement or management; staff said they will return with consultant recommendations, a procurement timeline and a proposal for integration with Sedona Connect transit functions.