City outlines 2026 parking price changes; commission voices concern over 99¢ mobile transaction fee
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Summary
Parking staff presented 2026 garage and on‑street rate increases and an explicit 99¢ per‑transaction mobile payment fee imposed by the vendor; commissioners said the separate fee risks appearing as hidden costs and asked for clearer signage and customer transparency.
City parking staff told the Downtown Management Commission on Oct. 28 that garage hourly rates and monthly permits will rise modestly in 2026 and that on‑street base rates will increase by 50¢ per hour citywide as part of the adopted budget.
Sam, a city parking staff member, said monthly permits will rise from $170 to $175 and that new signs will show the updated hourly structure; he also explained the vendor Metropolis charges a 99¢ per‑transaction fee that will be shown separately on receipts and signage. ‘‘Those rates will be really clear on all signs that we plan to install,’’ Sam said, adding the city negotiated a revenue‑share so that after a large transaction threshold the city receives half of the 99¢ revenue for transactions beyond the trigger.
Commissioners raised consumer‑perception concerns about marketing a $3 rate that becomes $3.99 on the receipt. One commissioner said advertising prices as $3 while the receipt shows “$2.01 plus a 99¢ fee” in the past led to complaints of hidden fees; staff said the new signage will explicitly list the 99¢ transaction charge and that weekend and holiday parking policies (free parking on specified days) remain unchanged.
Staff also described a ‘‘gatesless’’ post‑payment operation that Metropolis provides and said alternatives (prepaid kiosks or gated systems) were less compatible with the city’s service goals. On redundancy and reliability, staff asked commissioners to report ParkMobile or app errors with screenshots to troubleshoot problems with logins and transactions.
No formal policy change was approved at the meeting; commissioners requested clearer on‑site disclosure of the transaction fee and said they wanted the city to continue exploring contract options and consumer protections.