Higher parking fees drive concerns

By Richard Rolke - Vernon Morning Star Published: January 27, 2013 1:00 AM
Some merchants believe customers could be chased out of downtown Vernon. The City of Vernon has hiked rates for parking meters, the parkade and parking lots as part of the 2013 budget. “I have concerns about how it will impact commerce,” said Ruth Hoyte, Downtown Vernon Association president. Hoyte says the increases may be enough, in some cases, to divert residents to other parts of Vernon to shop instead of going downtown. Parking meter rates will climb from 50 cents to $1 an hour in late February or early March. Monthly flat parking lot fees will increase from $35 and $21, in some cases, to $65 a month. At the parkade, monthly parking will go from $55 to $65 a month except for roof-top parking which will go from $25 to $35 a month. Parking tickets paid within 14 days will jump from $5 to $10. Hoyte suggests the city is missing the big picture. “It (increases) doesn’t resolve the issue of occupancy on 30th Avenue,” she said. “Nor have they dealt with the elimination of parking stalls.” All of the parking rate increases combined will create an additional $576,360 in revenue for the city. “Where does that additional money go?” said Hoyte. “It doesn’t go into improving parking. It appears to go into general revenue.” Officials with the city are defending their actions. “We want downtown to be vibrant but the rates haven’t been increased for 10 years in some cases and this brings them in line with other communities,” said Mayor Rob Sawatzky. Sawatzky says higher parking rates could encourage more people to take transit and the additional revenue will assist with the city’s financial challenges, including infrastructure. “A major part of the operating budget is the service we provide for automobiles, whether it is roads or parking lots,” he said. “It’s part of a balanced process to deal with all of the issues before us.” In terms of claims that parking strategies downtown are not being addressed, Sawatzky disagrees. “There are city-owned parking lots that are not full now,” he said. “There is existing parking that can be used now.” The new rates are in line with the cost of a transit pass ($53 a month), what other communities charge and the cost of retaining land for parking. Other actions taken in the 2013 budget include a $35,000 feasibility study for the airport runway, a $30,000 business plan to expand the longevity of the cemetery and energy-efficient upgrades at several buildings as part of carbon reduction. Scrapping the Communities in Bloom program will save $9,100. There will continue to be no charge for infant car seat installations by Vernon firefighters. “We are enhancing some services and adjusting some fees to better reflect costs of services,” said Sawatzky.“Overall, these decisions allow for 2.3 per cent in additional taxation revenue. There is a reduced impact on overall property taxes by increases to fees for services. The real impact to the home owner of a typical or average residential property is about $56.”
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EDITORIAL: Rise in parking rates could hurt city Published: January 27, 2013 1:00 AM
Local motorists will be digging a little deeper to visit downtown thanks to the city’s decision to double parking fees.  Vernon’s 2013 budget calls for meter rates to increase to $1 an hour (currently they are 50 cents an hour). In the big scheme of things, a couple extra quarters likely won’t break the bank for many. And an argument can be made for the increase because rates haven’t changed in 10 years. Monthly lot fees will also be going up anywhere from an extra $10 to $44. But when you compare Vernon’s parking rates to other cities, particularly the larger centres, we’ve got it pretty good. The Canadian national average for monthly parking is $241 (according to a Colliers International survey), with Calgary nearly double that at $456. Those numbers definitely add more fuel to the argument to ditch the car for a bus pass. While Vernon is cheap compared to others, the proposed new rate will surpass its larger neighbour Kelowna – which only charges 50 cents an hour for on-street parking (City of Kelowna website). A major concern around the local increase is that customers may be driven out of the downtown core. Why pay to park and shop downtown when you can go to the mall, or a big box store and park for free? If that happens, it will in turn hurt small businesses, so it’s no wonder the Downtown Vernon Association is fighting the increases. If downtown merchants lose enough business, they could be forced to close their doors – which will in turn hurt the entire city. So while the combined rate increases will add nearly $600,000 to city coffers, the effect could prove to be much more costly to the community.