KANSAS CITY, Mo. – Soon you will see a new group enforcing parking violations in downtown Kansas City.

On Thursday, the Transportation Committee voted to hire LAZ Parking to run parking operations in the downtown area. The full city council voted and approved this plan Thursday afternoon.

The council has already set aside $325,000 for this plan.

Councilman Jermaine Reed is the chair of the Transportation Committee and said this is needed.

“They will be able to provide new meters, new ways of approaching repeat offenders as it relates to parking issues in the downtown corridor. We want to make sure we have that type of vendor,” Reed said.

Some city leaders have said there needs to be dedicated resources to parking enforcement and hiring a company is the best solution.

The contract would cover vehicle expenses, supplies, uniforms and administrative expenses for the potential company.