Here’s how 2025 Windsor budget could change parking fees, enforcement

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If Windsor’s mayor adopts the 2025 municipal budget as amended by council this week, paid public parking in the city will soon become more expensive.
Here’s what drivers need to know:
Increased meter enforcement
• Parking meters will be enforced until 7 p.m. The city’s 1,450 metres were previously free after 6 p.m.
• City staff estimate the added annual revenue from that extra hour of enforcement at $130,000.
• Windsor Mayor Drew Dilkens’s proposed 2025 budget recommended extending enforcement until 9 p.m., but on Jan. 27, the council majority passed a budget amendment to enforce meters until 7 p.m. instead.
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“I think we really need to take small steps here,” said Ward 8 Coun. Gary Kaschak, who put forward the amendment.
“I think one hour is a good way to go — it’s a way to start moving forward with a nominal increase, but not at that hefty three-hour rate.”
Councillors Fred Francis (Ward 1), Fabio Costante (Ward 2), Angelo Marignani (Ward 7), and Jim Morrison (Ward 10) expressed opposition to the change.
“It’s kind of piecemeal. I think we need to modernize our entire parking system before we actually incorporate these improvements,” Marignani said.
Rates for meters, lots, and garages
• Hourly rates at parking meters will increase by $0.25 to $2.25. That’s a 12.5-per-cent increase.
• In parking lots and garages, hourly rates go up by $0.25 to $2.00 — a 14.3 per cent increase.
The change is expected to bring in around $200,000 in additional annual revenue for the city.
This is the fifth increase in parking rates for meters and lots since 2007, when meters charged $1.25 per hour and garages and lots were $1.00 per hour.
Monthly rates for lots and garages
• Monthly rates in parking lots and garages will increase by three per cent. For city garages, the fee will go from $110 to $113.30. For lots, rates will range from $67.98 to $101.97 monthly, up from $66 to $99.
• The change is expected to bring in approximately $35,000 in additional annual revenue.
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