Laura Padgett Wants You to Pay More to Park

WECT:

The city's parking department operates off of a self-sustaining fund filled by parking fees which pays for parking maintenance and new spots.

The city says that after a cold winter, last year's parking fund balance is lower than anticipated.
if the parking fund is not refueled, the city will need to inject money into the balance which will add to it's current $809,069 deficit.

The parking manager has proposed to increase the deck fees during events (i.e. Azalea Festival) from a $5 all-day rate to $7. The same increase would be made to the evening rate in the deck.
City Council member Laura Padgett agrees with increasing the nighttime deck rate and has also suggested extending the meter time on the street. Currently, street parking after 6:30 is free. Padgett would like to see meters operating until 9pm.