COEUR d'ALENE — Visitors to Memorial Field may no longer have the luxury of an hour of free parking.

When they meet tonight, Coeur d’Alene City Council members will consider whether to begin charging $1 for the first hour of parking at the downtown softball field, along with a series of clarifications to city code regarding parking fees.

Deputy City Administrator Sam Taylor said the clarifications, as well as the changes to the Memorial Field lot, are a part of a larger, ongoing review of the way the city handles its parking.

"Parking is a challenge in the vast majority of cities," Taylor said. "We are working hard to make sure that our entire parking ecosystem is more efficient and operates better. Parking is a crucial element of economic development in downtown cores. We need to ensure proper circulation of vehicles on our streets and parking lots so that more people have a chance to enjoy downtown and businesses have an opportunity for more customers visiting their shops."

A $1 fee for the first hour of parking is the standard for most of the other city-controlled lots in the downtown area, Taylor said, including Independence Point. Another $1 is charged per additional hour at all city lots as well and, according to information provided by Taylor, oversized vehicles are required to pay twice the hourly rate.

In a report to the council, Taylor wrote visitors from outside Coeur d'Alene are the primary users of these parking areas, and it is "appropriate to capture revenue from visitors, who do generate a portion of local sales tax collections, though they don't pay property taxes."

"Revenue collections from these parking facilities assist with maintaining the lots and could be utilized to further enhance the overall parks system in those areas, too, further improving both residents' and visitors' experiences," Taylor added in the report.

The report also notes the city’s currently adopted fee schedule is inaccurate, and states the first two hours of parking at Memorial Field are free.

“It is staff’s understanding that it has been many, many years of only the first hour being free,” Taylor wrote. “Whether or not the city begins charging from minute one, as recommended by staff, the schedule should be correct.”

Additional proposed changes include incorporating the oversized vehicle fees into the rates listed for parking at McEuen Park, which are being charged but are not listed.

The fee structure for the parking lot at the Mueseum of North Idaho will, if approved, show a $1 fee for the first hour of parking, which was also previously unlisted.

"It’s important that our fee schedule be accurate to what we actually charge," Taylor said. "We want to make sure that when residents or visitors check the fee schedule on our website it is accurate."

The agenda item is listed as a public hearing, which will allow for members of the community to provide their input and opinions on the changes prior to a council vote. Meetings of the Coeur d'Alene City Council begin at 6 p.m. and are held in the community room of the Coeur d'Alene Public Library, 702 E. Front Ave.