Pay parking is coming back to the streets downtown, following a city council decision on Monday.
In 2009 the city removed its parking meters from downtown streets as part of a two-year pilot project. The move has seen the city's parking control division go from generating an $80,000 profit in 2007 to costing the city $81,000 per year, city bylaw services manager Guy Gusdal said.
Following a motion by city council Monday, city staff and the finance and audit committee will prepare a report for council with options on how to reinstate pay parking downtown.
"The system wasn't working. It was being abused," Gusdal said. "Now it's a matter of going to industry ... and asking them what options they have. Whatever system we look at would be something that can work for on-street and off-street parking."
Gusdal said implementation of paid parking downtown could begin as soon as later this year, depending on method used.
"There are pros and cons to all the options," Gusdal said.
In 2007 and 2008, the city generated $185,000 to $227,000 from parking meters. An increase in parking fines from $10 to $25 offset some of that loss, Gusdal said, but not all of it.
However, the city's aging mechanical parking meters were frequent targets for vandals, he said, and parts were no longer available.
Under the current system parking officers chalk vehicles tires, then patrol again to see if the vehicle is still there two hours later. Vehicles parking for longer than two hours are fined.
The number of parking tickets issued per year dropped from 25,000 to 38,000 in 2007 and 2008, to 12,700 to 13,600 from 2009 to 2011.
Gusdal said with the current system, vehicles which aren't chalked shortly after parking may be parked for up to two hours before a parking officer returns to that block.
Mayor Shari Green said she's seen workers downtown abusing the system firsthand.
"I can tell you I've witnessed people coming out of businesses with a spray bottle and a rag and remove the chalk," Green said. "Certainly, back in the day, I supported free parking downtown. But it has cost us."
Many businesses now find their customers can't find parking on the street downtown, she said. In addition, the business and social climate downtown has improved significantly since 2008.
Coun. Cameron Stolz said moving back to a pay parking system downtown could help the city generate additional revenue.
"I see this as a huge opportunity to move us back in the right direction," Stolz said.
Coun. Brian Skakun said the introduction of free parking hasn't been as effective as hoped.
"This is not free parking. It's costing the city," Skakun said.
Councillors Garth Frizzell and Albert Koehler said they do support free parking downtown.
"I don't want to see an end to free parking downtown," Frizzell said. "I don't think this is the time to detract from coming downtown."
