06/23/2026
Is your city about to spend millions on a new parking structure?
Before taxpayers accept the headline number, they should be able to ask a few simple questions.
Did the city compare all reasonable construction methods?
Does the budget include long-term maintenance, or just the cost to build?
What is the cost per parking stall?
How efficient is the layout?
Was the project tendered in a way that lets different systems compete fairly?
A parking structure is public infrastructure.
It has to deal with snow, salt, water, freeze-thaw cycles, vehicle traffic, repairs, and decades of use.
So the conversation should not stop at, “How much will it cost to build?”
The better question is, “How much will it cost to own?”
We put together a guide for taxpayers, council members, and city staff who want to ask better questions before a parking structure budget gets approved.
Read the article here:
Before council votes, compare parking structure cost, maintenance, and all three construction methods.