The city of Coeur d’Alene is considering changes to its parking fee structure for the McEuen Park and Memorial Field parking lots near the city’s central business district.

Under a proposal brought before City Council last week, Coeur d’Alene city administrator Troy Tymesen says, those who live within Coeur d’Alene city limits and those who live in Kootenai County but outside of city limits would pay less for parking than nonresidents. 

Current parking rates are $1 per hour for the McEuen Park and Memorial Field parking lots, $2 per hour for the Museum of North Idaho lot, $3 per hour to park at Independence Point from May 1 to Sept. 30, and $2 per hour for Independence Point during other months.

Tymesen says the proposal would make annual parking permits for those who live in Kootenai County but outside of Coeur d’Alene city limits available for $20, while those who live within Coeur d’Alene would pay $10 per year for the permit. The permits would allow for two hours of parking per day; Tymesen says splitting the two-hour limit between lots would not be allowed. 

Hourly rates wouldn’t change for those who live outside of Kootenai County.

Tymesen says the city aims to implement the new permits Jan. 1. However, that goal isn’t without obstacles.

“We’re hoping to do license plate recognition, and right now, we don’t have the equipment,” he says. 

Such equipment would include a vehicle that would be able to go through the lots and pull all the license plates, then cross-reference them with those that would have the two-hour pass, Tymesen says. “We have the challenge of getting two lots in the system, which is just one of the details that we need to work on, as well as how we would verify residency.”

The proposal would see event parking -- for events such as Ironman and the Coeur d’Alene Street Fair -- revert to $10 per day for all, Tymesen says. The fee for parking in lots on the Fourth of July would remain at $20. Tymesen says that money helps fund the Coeur d’Alene Chamber of Commerce’s annual Independence Day fireworks display.

“It is anticipated that the change to event parking will reduce revenue by approximately $5,000 to $10,000 per year, and the reduction in revenue for the addition of the two-hour pass program is undetermined,” Tymesen says. “However, the amount collected will be greater than the 2018 parking fund gross income figure because the two-hour parking pass applies to local residents only.”

The parking discussion also includes a potential change to the management of the city’s parking lots, he says. The city is proceeding with a request for proposal for parking services management for municipal lots, garages, and mooring slips.

Tymesen says parking management currently is contracted out to Diamond Parking, of Seattle.

Part of the reason for putting lot management back out for bid is due to citizen’s concerns that an out-of-state entity oversees parking, Tymesen says.

Another reason is the city’s new Coeur d’Alene Avenue parking garage, which Tymesen says isn’t managed by Diamond, but which provides another opportunity for discussing the future of Coeur d’Alene parking.

The request-for-proposals process for parking lot management will take about two months, Tymesen says.