City of Waterloo Council Work Session - Tuesday, September 8, 2026

The City of Waterloo Council Work Session held on September 8, 2026, focused primarily on governance and operational improvements, including the proposal to establish a city manager position. The discussion highlighted the intent to create a professional, non-political city manager role to improve efficiency and accountability without increasing taxes, funded through reallocation of existing budget resources and a planned mayoral salary reduction. The council was informed that the ordinance to create this position would be introduced for a first reading on September 21, 2026. Additionally, the council discussed amendments to the chronic nuisance ordinance to hold property owners accountable for problematic properties, and changes to contractor registration processes following the discontinuation of services by Intercogi, with the city assuming direct registration responsibilities and adjusting licensing categories and fees. A significant portion of the meeting was dedicated to reviewing the new parking operations managed by PCI Municipal Services, including recommendations to eliminate the first hour free on-street parking, implement time limits, transition to gateless technology in parking garages, and reduce cash payment options to improve efficiency and revenue. The council engaged with PCI representatives on operational details and community impact, with plans to continue refining parking policies. No formal votes on procurement were recorded during this session, but several policy and operational changes were outlined that will affect future contracting and budget allocations.