Council approves new parking-garage pricing: first 10 hours free, $4/hour thereafter, $20 max per day

Council approved a change to the town parking-garage pricing on Aug. 17 that makes the first 10 hours free, then charges $4 per hour up to a $20 daily maximum, starting Oct. 31, 2026 at 5 p.m. Mountain Time.

Charlotte Fry, joint transportation manager, summarized garage utilization and systemwide parking counts. Fry said historical metrics showed 75% of winter stays were under 11 hours and that recent summer data showed 85% of stays were eight hours or fewer and 95% were 11.5 hours or fewer. Fry said maximum occupancy on busy days left approximately 100–150 spaces available, and staff estimated annual cost recovery from the garage would be $70,000–$90,000 to offset about $87,000 in operating expenses and some capital costs. Fry explained the recommended structure is intended to encourage turnover while keeping the system simple and equitable and recommended discontinuing the locals discount program.

Councilors asked questions about the $20 maximum and measurement of success; Fry said staff would judge success by keeping utilization under an 85% industry target and would have authority to adjust free hours or hourly rates if utilization regularly exceeded that threshold. Councilor Freeman moved to direct staff to implement the 10-hour free / $4 per hour / $20 daily rate structure effective 10/31/2026; the motion passed unanimously. Staff said they will continue broader parking-system work and return with additional recommendations in October for systemwide policies.