FY 27 Budget Q&A #091: Please provide options for balancing the FY 2027 operating budget without the addition of Sunday parking meter hours.

Page updated on April 17, 2026 at 12:34 PM
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Question: Please provide options for balancing the FY 2027 operating budget without the addition of Sunday parking meter hours. 

Response: On Tuesday, April 14th, the City Council approved on first reading an ordinance related to Sunday parking metering and directed the City Manager to develop proposals to address the potential operating revenue shortfall if the ordinance is not ultimately adopted. The table below outlines three options for addressing this potential revenue gap while keeping the proposed add/deletes intact for consideration by the Council on April 21st. It should be noted that in addition to the options identified below, the City Council can also use any of the recurring revenue from the draft add/deletes to cover the shortfall, including the $337,000 from the revenue re-estimate, $458,500 in BPOL tax revenue, and the WMATA/DASH item totaling $619,920 as potential options.  

Revenue     Option A - Parking Meters to $2.60, Citations to $55   Option B - Parking Meters to $2.75   Option C - Citations to $57  
Parking meters Sunday                       (726,844)                     (726,844)             (726,844) 
Parking meters Mon-Sat                          242,360                        605,900                            -    
Parking citations                          450,000                                    -                   630,000  
Revenue re-estimate ($337,000 available in revenue re-estimates)                            34,484                        120,944                   96,844  
Net Change                                     -                                      -                              -    

Option A: This option eliminates Sunday parking meter hours, resulting in an estimated operating budget shortfall of $726,844. To offset this gap, the following actions are recommended: 

  • Increase existing parking meter rates (Monday through Saturday) by $0.10, from the proposed $2.50 per hour to $2.60 per hour, generating approximately $242,360 in additional revenue;  

  • Increase parking citation fines by $5, from the proposed $50 to $55, generating approximately $450,000 in additional revenue; and  

  • Allocate $34,484 in available revenue re-estimate funding to fully close the remaining gap.  

Option B: This option eliminates Sunday parking meter hours, resulting in an estimated operating budget shortfall of $726,844. To offset this gap, the following actions are recommended: 

  • Increase existing parking meter rates (Monday through Saturday) by $0.25, from the proposed $2.50 per hour to $2.75 per hour, generating approximately $605,900 in additional revenue; and  

  • Allocate $120,944 in available revenue re-estimate funding to fully close the remaining gap.  

Option C: This option eliminates Sunday parking meter hours, resulting in an estimated operating budget shortfall of $726,844. To offset this gap, the following actions are recommended: 

  • Increase parking citation fines by $7, from the proposed $50 to $57, generating approximately $630,000 in additional revenue; and  

  • Allocate $96,844 in available revenue re-estimate funding to fully close the remaining gap.  

The City Council’s discussion about these items will take place at the Preliminary Add/Delete work session on April 21st. If the majority of City Council chooses option A, B, or C, staff would amend the ordinance/resolution for City Council action at the meeting on April 29th for final action.  In addition, if City Council decides to increase the BPOL tax beyond what has been advertised, staff would need to receive that direction on Saturday April 18th to provide the required public notice and set the required public hearing for April 27th. 

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