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Aspen council backs modest parking fee increases as part of 2026 budget pitch
Summary
City staff proposed modest parking increases — garage hourly rate to $3 and higher daily caps — intended to support maintenance and the transportation fund and to nudge drivers toward transit; council debated whether enforcement or price is the stronger tool for reducing congestion.
Matt Grahl, the city’s budget manager, opened the session by summarizing staff’s proposed fee changes for the 2026 budget and said the full fee ordinance will come back for formal first and second readings in November. Blake Fitch of the Aspen Parking Department presented the parking specifics: “So we go from $2 an hour to $3 an hour. The daily maximum would go from 12 to $15” for the Rio Grande garage, and discount passes would be increased roughly a dollar per day, he said.
Council members divided over the policy goals. One council member (Bill) argued the primary aim should be mode shift — getting people out of single‑occupancy vehicles — and urged stronger enforcement in residential zones rather than raising core rates. “Raising the rates in the core is not effective in that at all… I think more effective, more outcome focused would be enforcing more significantly in the residential zones,” he said. Other council members said modest increases will help replenish the transportation fund and provide funding for rising transit costs, with one noting the city has already invested $250,000 in a fare‑free experiment that cannot continue without additional revenue.
Council also discussed penalties and public‑safety citations tied to parking. Staff noted the existing framework: paid‑parking lifetime warnings per plate versus immediate citations for illegal parking, and identified an omission in the draft ordinance that needs adding — e.g., fire‑lane violations. Some council members called for stronger fines for fire‑lane violations to deter dangerous behavior; others emphasized clear curb painting and signage before higher fines are imposed.
The council gave staff direction to proceed with the recommendations with an understanding that implementation should be transparent about the goal (transportation fund revenue vs. congestion reduction) and that staff return with enforcement and equity considerations. The full fee ordinance will be presented to council in November for formal readings.
