Downtown merchants and council press for clearer parking rollout as meters replaced

Multiple council members and downtown stakeholders told staff the current state of disassembled meters and missing signage has created confusion for visitors and merchants. One council member said, "I have customers who pull up and there's there's no meter there. I wouldn't know to tell them to go to an app." Another said residents and visitors have no way of knowing whether they will be ticketed.

City staff replied that ParkSmarter and Passport remain usable and that the city is transitioning the underlying meter hardware and installing kiosk stations. Staff said the rollout will include a kiosk demonstration at the neighborhood center on Aug. 17 and that the vendor will present at that meeting. Council members pressed for interim signage in the downtown and clearer public communication so visitors are not surprised or unfairly cited while the city completes installation.