Parking authority proposes simplified downtown pricing; council postpones decision to April 28

Lexington — The Lexington–Fayette County Parking Authority urged the City Council on April 21 to simplify downtown transient parking rates and to adjust fee structures to cover rising maintenance and equipment costs, but the council postponed a vote on the proposal until its April 28 work session.

The Authority’s representative (addressed in the meeting as Miss Boysen) told council that downtown garages are aging and require significant capital and technology investments — including projects to address failing structural elements and equipment replacements — and that vendor and operational costs have risen. She said the Authority’s current transient pricing is effectively $4 per hour under an 18‑minute increment model and proposed a simpler structure: a flat $3 for the first 30 minutes, then $4 per hour thereafter (with the Transit Center change proposed for Jan. 1, 2027, to allow time to update signage).

"What I'm asking to do is that it's a flat $3 for the first 30 minutes," the parking representative said. The proposal, she added, was meant to produce a simple and predictable price for customers while allowing the Authority to maintain safety and service levels across garages.

Council members pressed on utilization and equity questions, including vacancy and monthly parker management, and asked whether rate increases were inevitable given rising vendor and maintenance costs. The representative said monthly parking remains robust and that transient demand varies by events and time of day; she said the Authority has reduced costs where possible but faces unavoidable vendor increases and capital needs.

Council moved to postpone consideration and placed the rate change on the April 28 work‑session docket for further review; the motion passed by voice vote.