Council in Quinte West are being asked to reinstate parking fees as provincial restrictions lift.
Director of Planning and Development Services Brian Jardine is asking council during their meeting on Tuesday night to either reinstate parking fees when the provincial restrictions lift on March 1 or council approve either a blanket parking fee waiver until a new parking system is implemented.
Council waived parking fees in March 2020 at the start of COVID-19 to coincide with regional lockdowns and capacity restrictions.
Staff are currently working on a modernized hybrid parking model which will be presented to council in the coming months, detailing implementation details and capital and operating costs associated with the proposed model.
Should council direct full implementation of the proposed hybrid model, with associated infrastructure, it is anticipated that implementation could be in place for 2023, assuming availability of components.
For the remainder of 2022, or until a revised parking system is installed, council has the options to either reinstate fee parking at street meters and parking lots with pre-Covid parking fees maintained, continue the blanket parking fee waiver until the implementation and activation of a new parking system, or upon council decision not move forward with that project.
The city would forgo an estimated $9,000 in parking revenue per month under normal conditions, for the duration of any fee waiver period.
Council meets virtually with the public meeting beginning at 6:30 p.m.
