Sacramento may raise parking rates again. Here are the proposed fees
Sacramento’s plan to address its multimillion dollar budget deficit will come at a cost to drivers yet again.
Several fee increases were unveiled last week as part of the proposed spending plan to address the city’s $44 million deficit. Among the recommendations were raising rates at parking meters, garages and establishing fees for permits currently free to residential car owners. All proposed increases need City Council approval and would take effect July 1.
The three strategies are estimated to increase city revenue by more than $5 million, according to the budget for the 2025-2026 fiscal year, which begins in July. This would be the second consecutive year of higher parking fees across the city. Last year, Sacramento hiked rates and began charging at parking meters on Sundays and holidays.
“This is the same trick again ... and they wonder why we don’t want to be downtown,” said Roque Neto, a state worker who commutes to Sacramento from Citrus Heights for work.
The increases implemented last year are projected to grow the city’s revenue by roughly $3.3 million, city spokesperson Gabby Miller wrote in email on Thursday.
“The primary goals of the parking program are to support cost recovery for parking operations and infrastructure and to promote turnover in high-demand areas by managing the parking supply effectively,” Miller said.
What are the new parking increases?
Parking rates are broken up into three tiers, depending on location, special events and parking duration. Until last year, on-street meters charged between $1.75 and $3.75 per hour. The latest proposal would increase those fees to $3, $4.50 and $6 per hour based on tier.
The City Council will likely approve the parking meter increases on Tuesday. The item is on the consent calendar, a practice typically reserved for non-controversial agenda items that don’t require much discussion. Many cities with similar population sizes as Sacramento have similar parking rates as those proposed, according to the staff report.
The proposed budget also calls for instituting fees for the city’s Residential Permit Parking program, which allows residents to park up to three days at the same space on the street. The annual costs for these permits would be $60 or $120.
The parking fee hikes would affect those commuting regularly for work, including the state workers returning to offices four days a week this summer. Monthly rates at the Memorial, Old Sacramento and Tower Bridge parking garages would increase by $10, per the proposed budget. These parking garages would increase its half hour rate from $1.50 to $2.
“I dread that moment,” said Neto, who works at the California Department of Education.
