The Jefferson City Council on Monday unanimously agreed to study the current downtown parking situation and offer suggestions on how to improve it.
The study will focus on the Madison Street parking garage and the Jefferson Street parking deck, which hold a combined 620 spaces.
Public Works Director Matt Morasch said the study will include a full evaluation of the two locations' current conditions and suggested solutions.
"We know there are problems with the garage," he said. The study will also look "at our pay systems -- how we can bring those up to date -- elevators, all kinds of various aspects of the garage. Basically, a top-to-bottom evaluation."
Council agreed to hire Structural Engineering Associates (SEA) for $291,300, with $28,700 in contingency. The combined $320,000 will come from the city's parking fund, which comes from parking meters and fees. The fund has more than $4 million in it.
The City Council was not scheduled to take a vote on the study Monday, but Ward 4 Councilman Ron Fitzwater requested a suspension of the rules, which require bills receive readings at two council meetings before a vote.
"These things do take time and scheduling and that kind of thing," Morasch said. "There's a lot of fieldwork in this proposal."
According to the contract, SEA will look at four options for the Madison Street parking garage:
• Repair and rehabilitate the existing building.
• Expand the building to the east.
• Demolish the garage or deck to build a larger structure at the same site.
• Demolish both and build a larger structure at the same site.
The goal for any of the last three options would be to increase the number of parking spaces between the two locations to 800-1,000 spots.
A 2017 study identified a deficit of 592 spaces on the east side of the Capitol. Peak parking times are March, April and May when the Legislature is in session.
Jefferson City built two-thirds of the Madison Street parking garage in the 1960s and then renovated and expanded it in the '90s when it also constructed the Jefferson Street deck.
Britt Smith, operations division director in public works, said the study will take about six months to complete.
In June, Morasch estimated the Madison Street garage needs around $1 million in repairs. Examples of the needed repairs include sandblasting metal support beams to remove rust and then resealing the beams. In some spots, the concrete needs patched or replaced, he said, and the stairwell may need replaced.
"We don't know the exact scope of it," Morasch said at the time.
In April and June, the City Council discussed purchasing 124 W. McCarty St. and 101 W. Wall Way for $93,800 to build a new parking garage. The bill didn't pass. During those discussions, Morasch said work would need to be done on the existing parking garage whether a new parking garage was built.