Sacramento considers doubling size of parking meter district as city faces multi-year budget deficit
Sacramento is considering doubling the size of its parking meter district, extending it east from Sutter's Fort to Sacramento State.
This comes at a time when the city is forecasting a multi-million dollar budget deficit for the next several years. Even as it seeks cuts, the city added employee positions to its parking meter team this year to repair hundreds of broken meters.
Approval of the proposed district would not include any decision on how many meters could be added or where they would go within the expanded district.
Councilmember Phil Pluckebaum represents most of the proposed expanded meter district. Pluckebaum says the money from more meters won't solve the deficit.
Some Sacramento city staff say meters can help move people in and out of spots to help businesses with more customers. Pluckebaum said parking is the biggest complaint he gets.
"It is the most controversial thing. I'm not kidding," Pluckebaum said. "More than half of the calls, emails, and texts I get are about parking."
Melody Thebeau is an owner of Sacyard Brewery in East Sacramento. She fears that meters may make business worse.
"So parking is a very difficult discussion," Thebeau said. "How would we possibly enforce metered parking everywhere? It sounds really challenging."
At Hotrod's Barber Shop in East Sacramento, parking is always a problem for customers. The proposed expanded parking meter district would mean that customers like Henry Powell would have to pay.
"It makes it more difficult if you have metered parking," Powell said. "It's difficult now."