Eau Claire Downtown Paid On-Street Parking Plan to be Delayed

The implementation of a major change to parking in the downtown Eau Claire area will likely be delayed until later this summer.

At its meeting on Tuesday, the Eau Claire City Council held a first reading on an ordinance change to push the start of paid on-street parking from June 1st to August 1st. City officials say the delay is due to the fact that the paid parking kiosks are not ready yet, and the ordinance could officially be approved at the City Council meeting later this month.

The change to paid on-street parking in the downtown area comes as the City seeks to increase revenue amid a projected budget deficit of about $2.2 million next year. City officials have cited issues like reduced state funding and inflation as contributing factors in that deficit.

A number of options have already been considered, including transferring recreational facilities like Hobbs Ice Arena or the Fairfax Pool to community partners or consolidating trash utility services. The City Council also voted to approve increasing the vehicle registration fee, or wheel tax, last year in pursuit of that goal, and held a series of budget forums to get input from residents on their options over recent weeks.

Regardless of the delayed implementation for the change, officials from Downtown Eau Claire are still working to prepare residents. The organization recently launched a new website to share details on where to park and how to use the kiosks. Their hope is that by making the information more accessible, residents will continue to visit the downtown area to patronize local businesses.