City Council Highlights | December 3, 2024

During the City Council meeting this evening, City Council approved the City of Columbia Resilient Water Supply Project (Item #20).

As part of the Columbia Canal Recovery from the October 2015 flood, Columbia Water will be installing a new water supply intake in Congaree River. The new intake will serve as a redundant water source and piping delivery system to the Canal Water Treatment Plant, securing the water supply to a population of over 200,000 for years to come.

The project is being funded through a combination of Columbia Water capital improvement funds and a FEMA Building Resilient Infrastructure and Communities grant.

The project was competitively bid in October 2024. Construction is anticipated to take approximately 30 months to reach final completion.

Additionally, City Council approved the second reading of the parking rate ordinance (Item #21).

Some notable items in the ordinance include:

• Reduced owner occupant residential permits from $120 to $30 per vehicle (24-month period)
• Reduced owner occupant visitor permit from $48 to $24 per vehicle (24-month period)
• No enforcement on Saturdays in the Main Street District and The Vista from 9:00 a.m. – 2:00 p.m.
• Increased the fire lane initial fine from $200 to $500
• 1^st hour free in all City of Columbia parking decks
• Reduced on-street parking rate from $2.00 to $1.50
• No proposed changes to hospitality rooftop-only parking; $35/month
• City-wide on-street parking enforcement from 9:00 a.m. – 7:00 p.m. (Monday-Saturday)

The City of Columbia is increasing parking rates in order to reinvest revenue into the parking system and enhance the customer experience. The City will focus on infrastructure, maintenance, and repairs that are crucial to the overall quality and utilization of the parking decks throughout the system. Investments will also be made in operations, systems, innovation and aesthetics. A number of projects will take place immediately, with others projected over the next few years.

For more information about City of Columbia Parking Services, please visit https://Parking.ColumbiaSC.gov.

Here is a link to watch the full City Council meeting: https://www.youtube.com/live/uwngg9zKPRk?si=qVHnLKneRH9DagqB

To view all City Council agendas, please visit https://columbiacitysc.iqm2.com/Citizens/calendar.aspx.

For more information about upcoming City Council meetings or general information about the City of Columbia, please visit www.ColumbiaSC.gov.