Wichita city staff is looking at options after a plan to charge for public parking at all 6,800 spots downtown sparked outrage from residents and business owners. The City Council isn’t expected to take any binding action when it meets Tuesday. And formal staff recommendations will be presented in 30 to 60 days. But a staff report for Tuesday’s meeting teases several potential changes aimed at making the plan more palatable to downtown commuters. Installation of meters with one hour of free parking and $.75/hour for remaining time (the original plan states that all meter rates should be between $.75 and $2 per hour), Discounted daily rates for downtown employees, Sponsorships of on street parking spaces (likely by businesses), Availability of discounted parking passes (daily, monthly), Continuation of existing parking agreements, with rate adjustments to meet operating and maintenance needs (this could preserve free parking in Old Town, where businesses pay an annual maintenance fee for upkeep on their storefront parking stalls) Funding of ongoing maintenance and operating costs by users (pay to park) and capital improvement projects through property tax revenue.
Source: Local News | Wichita Eagle
