JACKSON, Wyo. – Town council today will again discuss the implementation of a downtown parking plan.
After digesting an exhaustive study by consultants Kimley Horn and receiving an impressive 395 responses online, councilmembers will be asked to formulate a game plan for managed parking that could either begin a few short-term fixes over the course of the next two years, or they could opt to launch a paid parking program immediately.
If electeds choose to ease into a downtown parking plan they may begin with stricter enforcement of current parking regs or tighter terms on high-value spaces sometimes taken up by employees. If that’s the route they go, officials would monitor the effectiveness of any measures taken for a year or two and decide then if paid parking was to be necessary.
The other option would be to immediately instruct staff to implement a paid parking system in the downtown core—an action some view as a game-changing event for the look and feel of Jackson. Paid parking would also require a considerable initial outlay to implement—approximately $1.5 million.
A paid parking system would bring in an estimated $100,000 in revenue during its first year, and perhaps as much as $275,000 in subsequent years, according to consultants.
The council will also discuss hiring a parking manager as a new fulltime position.
Today’s special town workshop begins at 2pm at town hall. Town staff is recommending no public comment be taken at this meeting.
