City staff presented proposed updates to the City of Norman's parking management plan to the Community Planning and Transportation Committee on Oct. 23, recommending consolidation of the downtown and Campus Corner plans into a single document, updates to payment options, and proposed changes to hourly rates and annual lease pricing.

Taylor Johnson, transit and parking program manager in Public Works, said staff recommended raising rates in some downtown areas and revisiting lease pricing to reduce a persistent parking fund deficit. "This is a great example of this might be amended sooner rather than later on the payment options," Johnson said, noting FlowBird's rebranding and broader app integration could affect customer experience.

What staff proposed
Staff described four paid public‑parking areas the city manages: the East Grey Street lot (between Crawford and Peters), the county courthouse on‑street block around the square, the Asp Avenue parking lot (Campus Corner) and Campus Corner on‑street spaces. Johnson provided counts: the East Grey Street lot contains 41 leased spaces, six accessible spaces and 93 open public spaces plus three EV charging stalls; the courthouse area includes 108 accessible on‑street spaces and 42 open public spaces (with 18 reserved spaces for law‑enforcement use and two veteran‑courtesy spaces); Campus Corner on‑street has 153 public spaces and six accessible spots; and the Asp Avenue lot has 64 public spaces and three accessible spaces.

On rates, staff proposed raising East Grey Street lot and the courthouse on‑street hourly rate from $0.25 to $0.50 per hour, and discussed making a $1.00 per hour rate citywide except for courthouse customers. Staff said the Grama Street (East Grey) lot currently charges a minimum of $0.75 at the pay station to cover convenience fees even though the posted rate is $0.25 per hour; coins remain part of revenue but most revenue comes from cards and apps. Johnson told the committee staff estimate the combined proposed changes (including lease changes) could increase revenue by about $40,000 annually; he estimated roughly $10,000 of that would come from the hourly rate increases alone if leases are excluded.

Leases and timing
Staff explained the Grama Street lease currently sells annual spots for $450 and proposed increasing that fee by $150 to $600 if the hourly rate rises, which would represent a larger discount to daily parking purchasers if the hourly rate is raised. Staff also proposed opening a leased-permit program for the Asp Avenue lot (21 leasable spaces identified in the north section of the lot); an initial discussion figure for an annual Asp Avenue lease under a $0.50 hourly scenario was $800, but staff framed figures as starting points for discussion.

Committee members and staff discussed the appropriate timing and notice requirements: staff suggested implementing most hourly-rate changes effective Jan. 1 to align with the calendar year, and starting Asp Avenue lease sales possibly July 1 to allow for signage and public education. Staff noted the city must coordinate programming with the pay‑station vendor and allow sufficient lead time for changes.

Food trucks
Staff also presented an initial policy discussion about permitting food trucks in city parking lots. Topics included whether trucks would occupy one or more stalls (some units need adjacent clearance to let customers walk up), whether electricity or other utilities would be provided (staff recommended not providing city electricity initially), and how to balance truck leases with hourly and leased parking. Staff said initial implementation could be limited to first‑come, first‑serve spaces in a corner of a lot and that legal and operational safeguards would be needed if the city later allowed electrical hookups.

What the committee decided
No formal vote was taken. Committee members expressed general support for starting with modest hourly increases and for staff to proceed on the timeline discussed (January 1 effective date for rate changes, with Asp Avenue lease implementation considered mid‑year). Johnson said staff would coordinate notices, vendor programming and lease application processes.

Ending
Staff will refine the draft consolidated parking management plan, finalize leasing details and return with exact implementation language and a timeline for council consideration. Staff emphasized coordination with municipal court, police and franchise utilities and said they would work with the city clerk's office to issue lease notices in time for a January 1 implementation where applicable.