During budget talks at Tuesday's Wichita City Council meeting, a large part of the discussion centered on the city's proposal to move to paid parking in the downtown area in 2025.
The plan was originally approved in January and in June the city selected a vendor to manage it. The cost to park would be in the neighborhood of 75 cents to $2 per hour. The fees generated would pay for security and maintenance.
Council member Becky Tuttle says her level of frustration is high with talks of potentially scraping a plan that has been years in the making.
Ultimately, the council voted 7-0 to delay purchasing new parking meters and kiosks and will revisit the issue at their September 10th meeting.
Tuesday's meeting lasted over 10 hours, finishing up after 7 p.m.
The public will have one more chance to comment on the proposed 2025 budget next Tuesday, August 20th.
Also at Tuesday's meeting, the Council approved an additional $2.207 million for renovations at Westlink, Alford, Angelou and Rockwell Libraries. The city cites inflationary issues behind the cost increase for those renovations.