Lexpark considering scaling back on Saturday, weekday parking enforcement after push back
The board of the group that oversees downtown Lexington parking is considering scaling back some enforcement hours after receiving push back from businesses and council members.
But to do so, it will need to charge Lexington city employees more to park at its four parking garages to make up for the loss from the expanded enforcement hours.
Jim Frazier, the chairman of the Lexington Parking Authority, known as Lexpark, said the authority is considering doing away with enforcement on Saturdays and decreasing enforcement hours on weekdays from 9 a.m. to 7 p.m.
As of Jan. 3, parking enforcement is 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. Monday through Saturday.
The majority of the complaints centered on the expansion of the enforcement hours, Frazier said during a Lexington Parking Authority board meeting on Thursday.
“The rate increases will remain,” he said. The state added more sales taxes to a host of new services, including parking, starting Jan. 1.
Lexpark, which does not receive taxpayer dollars or any direct allocation from the city, saw steep revenue losses during the coronavirus pandemic, when fewer people were coming and working downtown. In addition, the group also manages four parking garages, which it has pumped more than $6 million into to bring those parking garages up to city building codes. Lexpark also has had to increase security in the garages and has helped pay for additional law enforcement in downtown.
The parking rate increases and changes to enforcement hours were announced in December and took effect Jan. 3.
But downtown businesses and some on the Lexington-Fayette Urban County Council said the changes to the enforcement hours could hurt downtown businesses.
Council members asked Lexpark officials to consider making changes to the enforcement hours during a Jan. 24 council meeting.
Frazier said to make the numbers work, he has asked the city to pay full price for the more than 600 employees, including some police officers, who park at Lexpark’s four garages — the Helix, the courthouse garages and the Lexington Transit Authority garages.
The fourth Lexpark garage is the Victorian Square Garage but it is not typically used by city employees.
Currently the city only pays half price for employees to park at those garages.
The increase in city employee parking fees will generate an additional $238,320. That money will be needed if the parking authority scales back enforcement hours, Frazier said.
Frazier said Lexington Mayor Linda Gorton’s administration has been receptive to the request.
Susan Straub, a spokeswoman for the city, said the city is working with Lexpark and is “exploring options.”
The city is currently developing its budget for the fiscal year that begins July 1. Several council members said during the Jan. 24 meeting they would be receptive to giving Lexpark additional money in exchange for reducing enforcement hours.
Lexpark is losing between $300,000 and $350,000 a year after the city gave several streets to the University of Kentucky in a land swap several years ago. Those campus streets had some of the Lexpark’s most profitable meters.
Frazier said during Thursday’s meeting it’s not clear when the new enforcement hours would take effect. That would depend on if and when the city decides to give Lexpark additional money for employee parking.
On average the metered parking increases was 30 cents. Parking rates depend on how long someone parks and in what part of the city.
Other parking authorities, including Louisville, also raised parking rates after the new 6 percent sales tax on parking went live on Jan. 1.
This story was originally published February 9, 2023 at 11:56 AM.
