Temporary Parking Changes Announced For Downtown Great Falls

The Great Falls downtown parking saga continues, and the latest news has people talking.

To address the "financial instability" of our downtown parking situation, the City of Great Falls announced some temporary changes to downtown parking pricing.

Downtown Parking Program's Temporary Change

In a post shared to Facebook by the City of Great Falls, the city shared a plan to slow the "loss of funds."

"As you may have heard in recent public meetings, the Downtown Parking Program is not financially sustainable, meaning it's currently losing money each month," the city said in a Facebook post, "To slow the loss of funds, the City Commission has approved 'interim' changes while a long-term strategy is created."

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"The changes will go into effect on March 3."

The temporary changes, according to the City of Great Falls, will include the following:

• The hourly rate on Central Ave. will be $1.50
• Penalties for parking violations will increase
• A separate notice will not be mailed before booting

If This Isn't A Permanent Solution, What Is?

Back in November, it was reported that the parking fund was on track to lose $100,000 by January 2026 and that monthly deficits were in the $15,000-20,000 range.

On the other hand, free parking was also offered during the holiday season to help support local businesses in the area... one has to wonder if rising parking costs and penalties will harm those same businesses.

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"Parking programs are complicated, and there's not one simple answer that will fix everything with downtown parking," the city says in their statement, "A group of downtown business owners, stakeholders, and residents are currently working with City staff, in what's called the Downtown Parking Summit, to create a long-term strategy for downtown parking."

"The group meets again on February 13, and a strategy will soon be brought before the City Commission for consideration."

What do you think a viable solution would be? We would love to hear your thoughts HERE.