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Parking services asks council to fund comprehensive parking study amid scooter enforcement gains and debate over pricing
Summary
Parking services proposed a comprehensive study (estimated $150,000–$200,000) to analyze downtown garages, on-street rates, permit structures and technology such as license-plate recognition; the division reported scooter citations fell from ~2,700 in 2023 to ~540 after corrals and geofencing.
Parking services presented its 2025 program and asked the council to fund a comprehensive parking study to examine the full ecosystem of parking operations including pricing, permit structures, technology, garage operations and public outreach.
Director Adam Wason said the last comprehensive review was in 2018 and that the department wants a more holistic study now to inform decisions about meter upgrades, license-plate recognition (LPR) systems, pay-by-phone strategies and the future role of gates versus open, gateless garages. "We do expect this to be in the upwards of a 150 to 200,000 if we do the holistic, big study," Wason said.
Wason cited performance improvements tied to recent enforcement and vendor management: historical scooter citations numbered about 2,717 in 2023 but have dropped to roughly 540 in the downtown after geofencing and corrals were installed, a change he described as a success for behavioral compliance.
Public comment included Steve Wolland, chair of the city parking commission, who urged caution about equating parking policy with revenue generation to pay for garages. "We should not make it our goal to just retroactively justify the building of a garage by, saying that our goal should be to increase revenue for the sake of revenue," Wolland said, adding that the commission should be consulted on policy implications.
Council members and staff discussed equity and accessibility in potential payment strategies (addressing pay-by-phone and kiosk trade-offs) and committed to broad public outreach and engagement if the study proceeds.
Next steps: The administration will pursue an RFP/RFQ for a qualified parking-industry consultant, include planning and public engagement in the scope, and coordinate with planning, engineering and the parking commission.
