SANTA BARBARA, Calif. – Parking prices in downtown Santa Barbara could change in a number of ways this year.
Funding for the parking department is decreasing and will be gone next year, according to a city report. That would require the city's general fund to be used for backfilling at a time when it is expected to have a $7 million deficit.
Fee changes are proposed to generate more revenue. The plan also includes adding parking meters in the downtown core area.
The Finance Committee, made up of three City Council members, looked into the numbers Tuesday and heard input from the public. They decided to submit the bill to the full parliament in time for a special budget session on May 15th.
City officials said they've seen something like this happen years ago, but it wasn't a conversation the public would welcome. At the time, the city had a large reserve fund to cover the lack of revenue for parking lots, but that cushion ran out.
“As you know, there's a lot of resistance to raising parking prices or doing anything with the parking subsidy period,” said Downtown Team Manager Sarah Clark.
Various free time packs, different paid periods for parking lots and surface lots, $10 all-day parking limits in some areas, discounts for downtown employee parking, and more have led the city's Finance Committee to make several We have considered viable solutions. presentation.
Santa Barbara City Councilmember Megan Harmon said officials are “threading the needle and figuring out how to make this sustainable and, frankly, make it more affordable for locals to live downtown.” We were able to find a way to make it affordable.”
“One of the questions that has been raised about downtown is what would happen if it were busier, so there would be more cars in the parking lots and more people shopping. Also, the budget may be revived.
For more information, see the City of Santa Barbara Parking Report.
