By a unanimous vote, the Salinas City Council voted earlier this week (Tuesday) to increase the cost of parking downtown.
The council wants to erase a nearly $400,000 loss to the city budget from its Downtown Parking District. Officials said stopping the loss requires hourly parking at the Monterey Street garage to increase from 50-cents to $1-an-hour. Monthly permits would increase between $15 and $30-a-month over the next three years. The city also plans to stop subsidizing businesses that provide free parking for customers.
