At City Hall Tuesday morning, the City Council approved a long-awaited parking and multimodal plan. The city began work in 2017 and approved a consultant the next year but work was halted at the start of the pandemic.
There are over 12 thousand off-street parking spaces around town that the city wants to manage more efficiently. They plan to utilize technology, improve enforcement efforts and enhance the environment for other modes of travel like biking, walking and transit.
Mayor Brandon Whipple says when it comes to paying to park, the system needs to be flexible in accepting cash along with electronic payment methods.
The city says the plan will provide a framework to better manage parking and mobility assets and make the parking fund sustainable.
Shifting gears, the financial report for Wichita ending in the fourth quarter of 2022 is good.
Mark Manning with the city's finance department says financial activity was generally consistent with or better than expectations last year. The city's general fund performed well, thanks to rising interest rates. He added that the city's water, sewer, tourism and convention, and special alcohol funds performed very well. The golf fund had an exceptional year, ending with a positive balance of a million dollars.
Choppier seas are forecast for the city in 2023 and 2024. Revenue from sales tax performed well last year but the momentum is slowing. Expenditures will be unfavorable in the year 2025 and beyond.