City doubles parking-meter rates to raise $100K

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This article was published 08/02/2024 (686 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

City of Brandon staff finished the lengthy process of adjusting parking-meter fees this week, doubling the rates motorists pay for roadside parking.

That means that where $1 used to purchase two hours of parking, $2 is now needed for the same amount of time. Thirty minutes now costs 50 cents, up from 25 cents. Twelve minutes costs 20 cents, up from 10, and six minutes now costs 10 cents, up from five.

Up to two hours’ worth of parking can be purchased at one time, though the meters do not accept toonies. Parking is free before 8 a.m. and after 4 p.m. from Monday to Friday, and free all weekend.

The changes were approved at the last Brandon City Council meeting of 2023, but meters have only been switched over to the new fares gradually in the new year.

The city’s director of public works, Pam Richardson, told the Sun late Wednesday afternoon that staff had finished individually adjusting all 668 meters earlier that day.

Originally it had been assumed that the work would be completed within a week, but the equipment ordered to facilitate it had to be sent back.

“It’s been a bit of a tedious process, because you actually have to plug in our equipment into each meter and reprogram it,” Richardson said.

The new fees were discussed at the Dec. 4 and Dec. 18 city council meetings, with a note in an agenda document noting that the increases were based on a study of 10 other municipalities

“The study indicated the average cost across the municipalities was $1.50,” the document said. “Reprogramming and updating of signage costs are expected to be minimal.”

Richardson said that research was done last summer. The previous rate had been in place for more than a decade.

Just before 5:30 p.m. on Wednesday, the city sent out a public service announcement by email and on its website notifying residents about the rate changes. According to Richardson, the city was waiting for work to be completed before sending the note out.

She said she hoped the rates wouldn’t disincentivize people from visiting the downtown, where most of the meters are located.

“We were just trying to make sure that we’re comparable to other communities,” Richardson said. “The rate increase was probably long overdose and maybe moving forward, more timely increases to make sure we’re in line is something that we should be looking for.”

The city’s 2024 budget predicts parking revenue will rise by almost $100,000 as a result of the fee hikes. The revised budget for 2023 predicted $164,938 in parking meter revenues, while the 2024 budget approved last weekend predicts $262,037.

Reached by phone, Brandon Chamber of Commerce president Lois Ruston said the organization had yet to receive any complaints from downtown businesses about the rate increase, though anything that makes it harder for its members to do business is a concern.

However, she indicated communication on the subject could have been better.

“It’s really in line with my previous comment on the budget and the planned tax increases,” Ruston said. “Probably the bigger issue to us is a seeming lack of planning, a lack of forethought and a lack of communication so that our members and our community can be aware of these changes and plan in advance.”

Other changes to fees include $1 increases to individual admission fees for all age groups at the Kinsmen Pool, a $1 increase to commercial, non-residential and residential entrance fees for the Eastview Landfill, $1.50 more per tonne for compost purchases, a $5 increase in green fees for adults at peak times at the Wheat City Golf Course, various increases to plot fees at the Brandon Municipal Cemetery, among others.

A full list of 2024 fees can be found online at brandon.ca/images/pdf/Bylaws/2024_Fee_Schedule.pdf.

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