Irvine officials are looking to charge out-of-towners parking their cars at the Great Park as leaders continue grappling with an ongoing budget deficit, which is projected to be $9 million in the upcoming fiscal year.
It comes as city council members continue patching up gaps in a budget that could reach a $47 million structural deficit by the end of the decade.
City council members already addressed the current fiscal year’s budget with a one-time, $6 million budget transfer from the Asset Management Plan Fund at their meeting on June 9.
That transfer helps the city avoid ending the fiscal year in a deficit but does not solve long-term financial problems if leaders continue to spend more than they make.
At the council’s meeting on June 23, officials voted to make adjustments to next fiscal year’s budget as expenditures outpace revenue.
Council members voted on Tuesday night to reduce spending for the 2026-2027 fiscal year by $6 million by holding vacant positions and pausing the city’s vehicle replacement program for non-emergency vehicles.
Leaders also voted to formalize a slew of previously-approved small fee increases that altogether are expected to increase revenue by another $3 million.
“The city continues to experience higher expenses in salaries and benefits and overtime due to rising healthcare costs, insurance premiums, claims, unexpected events and staffing requirements to meet Irvine’s growing population and calls for services,” Irvine’s Deputy Director of Administrative Services Jonathan Nih said at Tuesday’s meeting.
[Read: Irvine Wrestles With Budget Shortfall Amid Questions on Future Stability]
At the same meeting, council members also voted 6-1 to enter a $1 million contract with Parking Concepts, LLC to roll out a paid parking program for existing lots at the Great Park. Councilmember James Mai voted no.
The parking costs are projected to generate between $3 million and $5 million annually. Parking at the Great Park for all Irvine residents will stay free for up to four hours each day.
The program is slated to be a gateless, ticketless payment system with cameras to scan license plates and kiosks to process payments. There is also expected to be an app for visitors to pay for parking and create reservations for parking spaces.
Costs are slated to be $2 or $3 per hour, depending on the specific lot, on Mondays through Thursdays after 4 p.m. for a maximum of four paid hours. Parking before 4 p.m. will have no charge.
Parking costs are expected to be $3 or $4 per hour on Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays and $4 or $5 per hour for tournaments — depending on the lot — also for a maximum of four paid hours.
Vehicles will be able to remain longer than four hours, but hourly charges will stop after four hours.
Parking for special events could be between $25 and $40 depending on the lot and when the reservation is made.
Annual permits will be available for Irvine residents to allow free parking. Residents will need to provide proof of address to get a permit.
The program is expected to be ready by the end of 2026 or early 2027 for about 4,400 parking spaces at the Great Park. About 8,000 more parking spaces are expected to be built as construction continues in and around the Great Park.
“This is a very important matter as we venture into a world of parking and parking charges and revenue streams,” Mayor Larry Agran said at the meeting. “It’s a whole new phase for the Great Park.”
Agran said city leaders will review the paid parking system after a few months to see how it’s going and if any adjustments are needed.
[Read: Irvine’s Budget Deficit Could Lead to Parking Fees and No New Libraries]
Councilmember Mai voted no because he said he wanted to take more time to review costs for children’s sports teams that visit the Great Park to train.
He said he doesn’t want to price anyone out, especially youth teams.
“I don’t want to deter anyone from training at the Great Park when they could just go to Santa Ana,” Mai said at the meeting.
“In general, I’m very supportive of this item. I believe prioritizing the needs of the residents of the Great Park and the city, I would just like a little more time in terms of where we’re going as a city.”
The council is expected to review the city’s budget in a special meeting “deep dive” on Aug 3.
Council members agreed they need to have their pencils ready for that meeting to make budget adjustments to ensure secure financial footing for the 2027-2028 fiscal year and beyond.
Councilmember Mike Carroll said the council needs to review and minimize their $600,000 office budgets at that upcoming meeting.
[Read: Irvine City Council Quietly Doubles Their Personal Budgets Ahead of Deficit]
“These council budgets are completely out of control and need to be reigned in,” Carroll said.
“We’re going to do this deep dive on the budget, and we’ll take a look at it.”
Angelina Hicks is the Voice of OC Collegiate News Service Editor. Contact her at ahicks@voiceofoc.org or on Twitter @angelinahicks13.
