Story Published: Feb 18, 2010 at 3:28 PM PDT
EUGENE, Ore. -- The City of Eugene has been kicking around a possible return to free parking in downtown Eugene for more than a year.
On Wednesday, they heard from city officials working on the plans.
The big hold up: money.
If you take the parking meters out of downtown, you also take money out of the city budget. Quarter by quarter, motorists plug $650,000 into downtown parking meters each year.
So to make parking in downtown free, the city wants to make up that money somewhere else. City parking services staff presented several options in a city council work session Wednesday.
Councilors widely dismissed one: the idea of charging in parking garages on Saturdays. Right now, those garages are free on Saturdays.
"I think all the options are there," Jeffy Pettry, Parking Services Manager, said after the meeting. "I think what we heard is free Saturday parking is very important for downtown, the first hour free is an important component. I think we can do a better job of spreading the word that we do have these free weekend parking and come downtown and enjoy it."
Another idea: a free parking pilot program in a small part of downtown so the budget impact would be smaller.
"This isn't the silver bullet that will fix downtown, it's not," Councilor Mike Clark said, "but it is an important part of the solution to making downtown welcoming."
Eugene conducted a two-month free parking pilot program on Broadway Avenue last summer.
Nothing official was decided Wednesday. Councilors probably won't decide on this until they determine the city budget in late spring.