By Megan Ma

It’s that time of year when downtown business owners must reapply for parking permits. But this October, the annual fee has been raised three fold, from $12 a year to $36, a recommendation endorsed by the Los Altos Village Association and city staff and approved by the city council Sept. 12.

Councilmembers voted to appropriate $10,000 from the parking permit fund - extra revenue the city accumulated from parking permit fees over the past two years - for maintenance projects.

The additional revenue raised by the fee increase will fund downtown cleanup projects, including litter pickup, sidewalk sweeping and trash can pickup. The city has repeatedly claimed empty pockets when it comes to such maintenance services.

Rebecca Zito, the city’s economic development coordinator, presented the option to the Village Association, a group of local merchants, a week before the council meeting. She estimated that the city would have to raise $28,000 in revenue this year in order to cover program expenses - including sending out mailings, repainting parking spaces and staff costs - which leaves $20,000 in revenue for extra street maintenance. Coupled with the leftover revenue from previous years, the Village Association’s beautification committee will have $30,000 at its disposal for sprucing up downtown streets this year.

Community Development Director James Walgren, who along with city staff proposed the fee increase, said it offers a simple alternative and sidesteps the hassle of creating a Business Improvement District (BID) - an expensive proposal that has been a contentious issue in the past.

“The complexities of creating a BID just sort of bog down discussion, and we don’t seem to be getting the maintenance downtown people want to pass,” he said.

Walgren said the city staff has attempted to notify the business community of the fee hike. While the increase might seem significant to some, he said he thinks it’s a small price to pay for much-needed maintenance.

“It’s not set in stone,” he said. “We evaluate the program every year.”

Councilman David Casas was the sole dissenting voice against the increase on the five-member council.

Casas said the $10,000 in excess revenue that remained in the parking permit fund is proof that the council did not use funds wisely. He also said he was concerned the latest council action to “overcharge” for parking permits showed a “lack of planning and execution on behalf of city.

“We’re just sitting on the money and we’re not being good stewards of the money we receive,” Casas said.