Sacramento’s $1.6B Budget Plan to Offset $66M Deficit – Parking Fee Hikes. According to Sacramento Bee, Sacramento City Manager Howard Chan has unveiled a budget plan to tackle a hefty $66 million deficit in the city’s budget plan. His proposal outlined in a $1.6 billion budget plan includes various strategies to boost revenue and trim expenses without resorting to employee layoffs or shutting down homeless shelters. Chan’s budget plan involves increasing fees for parking meters and garages as well as implementing charges for electric vehicle charging in city-owned garages. Additionally the city intends to introduce 300 new on-street parking meters in high-demand areas. These measures aim to offset the decline in parking revenue caused by the pandemic’s impact on downtown office attendance. To further bolster revenue the proposed budget raises fees for several Youth, Parks, and Community Enrichment programs. This includes higher charges for sports field rentals, swim programs, picnic park areas, and room rentals at community centers. Moreover a fee ranging from $5 to $10 would be introduced for senior special events. In the Public Works Department homeowners would see an increase in the amount they pay for sidewalk repairs which can already be substantial sometimes exceeding $20,000. Additionally, the budget would discontinue a program that allowed kindergarten through high school students to ride Regional Transit for free saving $1 million.