Earlier this year, after a review of its downtown paid parking program, the Paso Robles City Council agreed to offer discounts to people who had paid for parking over the previous year.
This Friday, May 24 at 5 p.m. is the deadline to request a refund.
According to the city of Paso Robles, unclaimed parking refunds total more than $500,000.
"I wasn't sure if it was gonna be more trouble than it was worth," said Denise Vandenberg, Paso Robles resident.
I spoke with several people in Paso Robles Monday and many felt the same way about parking refunds, telling me they either didn't need a refund or it was too much work to request one.
"I didn't really spend much time downtown as soon as they put in the parking meters," said Romeo Willis, Paso Robles resident.
Willis says when he did park downtown, he didn't stay long enough to pay.
"When the parking was going on, I would just do two hours, the free maximum," he said.
As of mid-March, Paso Robles police told me that claimed parking refunds amounted to just under $8,000 but that number has now more than doubled with refunds now totaling nearly $18,000.
Commander Caleb Davis says that includes more than $12,000 refunded for parking citations, more than $4,100 for parking sessions, and $1,200 for parking permits.
He says no decision has been made as to what will be done with the unclaimed funds.
For information on how to apply for a refund, click here.
