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City staff proposes paid on-street parking to fund ramp repairs and operations; council questions enforcement and business impacts
Summary
Deputy City Manager Solberg outlined a paid on-street parking plan based on a 2024 parking study that would establish rate zones, kiosks and Passport app payment and consolidate parking under Neighborhood Services. Staff estimated a conservative $500,000 in new revenue for 2026 that could help finance the Gibson Street parking-ramp replacement; council members and public commenters raised concerns about enforcement, impacts on workers, and timing amid downtown construction.
Deputy City Manager Solberg presented staff's recommendation to adopt paid on-street parking downtown and to consolidate parking operations under Neighborhood Services with a dedicated parking administrator. Solberg said the 2024 parking study recommended a rate structure that places the highest fees at the most desirable on-street locations to promote turnover, and suggested a mix of $1.00-per-hour prime zones and $0.50-per-hour outer zones, paid via kiosks and the Passport mobile app.
Solberg framed the change partly as a funding solution for major capital needs such as replacing the aging Gibson Street parking ramp. He provided a conservative 2026 estimate: "we approximately would be looking at, about a $500,000 revenue gain for 2026," and said at current utilization the amount could approach $1,000,000 — revenue that could pay debt service on roughly $10,000,000 of capital projects. He emphasized the revenue would remain in the city's parking program to fund enforcement, operations, maintenance and ramp capital needs rather than general fund programs.
Council members asked detailed implementation questions. Council Member Schone and Brewster pressed on short-term/loading zones for quick visits and the Passport platform's interoperability with enforcement software; Solberg said Passport would handle payments and that enforcement software communicates with payments for plate checks. Council Member Johnson raised concerns about school-district employees and downtown workers who currently park near Farwell Street; staff said permit or pass options could be explored but practical limits exist if many employees sought exemptions.
Public commenters included Deb Marshall, who supported creating a parking utility and hiring a manager but emphasized the job description, strong authority and controlled ramp access; another resident urged consideration of resident parking passes and narrower paid hours. No vote or final policy decision was recorded in the transcript; staff recommended follow-up meetings with business districts and further work on operational details should council choose to proceed.
