Helena is considering a blanket hike in parking fees, but some business owners are staunch it is unaffordable.

“As soon as my lease is up, I’m leaving because of parking, and I’m tired of my customers being ticketed,” Bobbi Lambertson said. She owns Bobbi Salon on the Walking Mall.

At a Sept. 3 administrative meeting, parking officials presented a list of potential raises to parking permits and violation fees.

A big drive of the changes is a general need to balance the budget, Transportation Systems Director David Knoepke said.

Years of deferred maintenance have wracked up cost needs, he said. There is also over $650,000 in debt. Some of the highest paid positions in parking have been cut to help the problem, he said, but fees need to be raised to “keep up.”

“I don’t have a good answe

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