Bill giving Lexington council oversight on parking rates passes despite push-back from city
A bill that would require the Lexington Parking Authority to get council approval before setting any rate increases passed the General Assembly Thursday and now heads to Gov. Andy Beshear’s desk.
The House voted 81- 15 to pass Senate Bill 75 Thursday.
The bill is not supported by Lexpark or the Lexington-Fayette Urban County government.
“We continue to oppose this legislation,” Susan Straub, a spokeswoman for the city, said Wednesday. “This is a local issue and we have handled it at a local level. This bill is Frankfort over-reach — special legislation that only involves one city in the state.”
Jim Frazier, chairman of the Lexington Parking Authority board, agreed with the city and said parking is a local issue that should be worked out by local organizations and governments. Frazier echoed Straub’s comments and said it was “over-reach.”
Senate Bill 75, sponsored by Sen. Damon Thayer, R-Georgetown, would require the authority, known as Lexpark, to submit any potential rate increases or changes to its budget to the Lexington-Fayette Urban County Council for approval. Under the proposed bill, the council would have 30 days to either approve or change the proposed rate increase.
The bill also requires any budget amendments to be sent to the council for approval.
Rep. Killian Timoney, R-Lexington, said the bill was simple. It was about “taxation without representation.”
The bill would allow elected leaders, the council, to have a say on any potential changes to parking enforcement hours or parking rate changes, he said.
Rep. Lindsey Burke, D-Lexington, said given the city did not support the changes, she would vote against the bill.
The bill passed the Senate March 10, 27-6.
Changes in enforcement hours, rate increase
Lexpark announced in December it would expand enforcement hours from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. weekdays to 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. Monday through Sunday.
The move was necessitated by a new 6% state sales tax, a drop in revenues from parking during the coronavirus pandemic and increased costs associated with upkeep of the city’s four aging parking garages, parking officials said.
Businesses, restaurants and downtown patrons pushed back against the expanded enforcement hours, saying it would turn customers away from downtown.
In response, Lexpark and the city came to a compromise.
The city agreed to pay the parking authority an additional $200,000 a year for city employee parking in Lexpark’s garages. In turn, Lexpark nixed Saturday enforcement and curtailed weekday enforcement to 9 a.m. to 7 p.m.
But many businesses and downtown residents criticized Lexpark for not giving residents a heads up or an opportunity to weigh in on the changes before they were announced in late December.
Lexpark is a separate government agency that receives no tax dollars — other than what it receives for city employee parking — to operate. Its revenues are generated from metered and garage parking.
The city created Lexpark to manage its downtown parking in 2008. It gave control of the city’s aging garages to the authority in 2012. Those parking garages have cost Lexpark $15 million to date.
The rate increases remain in effect. Nearly all the complaints were about the extension of meter enforcement.
This story was originally published March 15, 2023 at 11:56 AM.
