The City of Eugene will install new pay on foot machines in two of its parking garages in January. The change is expected to help the parking department as they recover from the pandemic.
The department took a pretty big hit financially during the pandemic, their parking fund saw a 75% drop in revenue in March 2020. It normally generates. $8-9 million a year.
A year-and-a-half later, they’ve been trying to rebound, while down about half of their staff and taking on other duties. City Director of Administration for the Planning and Development Department Jeff Petry manages the city’s parking department.
“Some of our officers are providing enforcement services in the neighborhoods you know, removing vehicles that are abandoned, or creating turnover for vehicles so we have some of our staff that are doing work in the unhoused system,” he said.
The pay on foot machines will be installed in the Overpark and Parcade garages downtown and won’t need to be staffed. Petry calls these garages "workhorses" because they allow permit, monthly, hourly, and all day parking, as well as offering parking validations. They also serve as event parking for nearby venues.
"We feel that by going cashier-less that we're able to help rebalance the parking enterprise fund and save some money and also provide some more benefit to our customers," he said.
Copyright 2021 KLCC