The City of Kamloops expects to pad city coffers when it takes over managing two downtown parkades on New Year’s Day.
An independent company, the Kamloops Downtown Parking Corporation, is contracted to manage parkades on Lansdowne and Seymour streets, but their current contract expires on Dec. 31.
Acting bylaw services manager Tammy Blundell says the city will be moving to an automated system.
“It allows individuals who have monthly permits, they swipe their card, they get let into the parkade, and that’s their ability to enter and exit the parkades,” Blundell says.
“Any funds that go back into the city will go into a parking reserve fund. That will allow for the extra funds to eventually to be determined whether we build another parkade, or have different opportunities to build off-street parking. It’ll just give us an opportunity to build our inventory in the future.”
When the city takes over management of the parkades, bylaw officers will enforce parking rules similar to other city parking stalls.
Blundell says management of the parkades had been contracted out for more than 40 years to the corporation.