It appears the Aurora City Council is set to approve a new agreement between the city and Metra for administering part of the parking at the Route 59 train station.
Aldermen on the Committee of the Whole moved the agreement to the consent agenda of the April 26 full City Council meeting.
The new agreement would be for 40 years, and would allow the city of Aurora to administer and maintain the western part of the parking at the station. That means Aurora would collect the revenue from parking charges, which goes toward maintenance.
It would replace a 20-year pact expiring this year between the city and Metra.
Metra owns the lot and leases the lot to the city for $10 for the life of the agreement.
Burlington Northern-Santa Fe Railroad also owns part of the facility. The Metra-owned portion has been expanded recently to have a total of 2,600 parking spaces.
A week ago, members of the Finance Committee recommended the agreement unanimously. However, they were concerned about a part of the new pact that provided a 90-day opt-out for both Metra and the city, if either entity should choose to get out at any time during the agreement.
They recommended it despite their misgivings, and noted that an even a longer opt-out would not help the situation much. Still, city staff said at the Committee of the Whole meeting that both sides agreed to a 180-day opt-out instead of 90 days.
Aldermen said that would give either side a little more time to figure out what to do if either side decides to get out of the agreement.
