SAN DIEGO (FOX 5/KUSI) — City leaders are considering a major overhaul of the way parking is handled in San Diego as the city works to address a more than $250 million budget deficit. The city council’s Active Transportation and Infrastructure Committee cleared the way Thursday for a comprehe nsive reform package. It comes on the heels of council doubling the citywide meter fee to $2.50 an hour.  “With the intent to better align with the rates that we’ve seen across the region and state, but also to of course maximize revenue for the city given the budget deficit," said Councilmember Kent Lee, San Diego City Council District 6. One update under consideration is ending free parking on Sundays, which Councilmember Stephen Whitburn opposes to an extent. "I don’t want people on a Sunday to have to go out and plug a meter or move their car every two hours," explained Whitburn, San Diego City Council District 3. So, the city is leaving room for an exception.  “Residents in the neighborhood will not. They will get a permit that will allow them to continue to park for free on Sundays in their neighborhood," Whitburn said. Miguel Franco works in downtown San Diego and doesn’t think it's fair.  "It's easier to park here on a Sunday and then you can park at night and it's just really rough. I work on Sundays,” Franco said. Another proposal the city is looking at is dynamic pricing that could charge as much as $20 an hour.  “This would allow the city to increase the price at a meter around a special event where there’s extraordinarily high demand," Whitburn said. The city is also considering extending meter hours and adding meters where neighborhoods want to help increase turnover. The money from the meters would stay in those neighborhoods.   “By assessing parking fees at major tourist attractions like Balboa Park and Belmont Park we can ensure steady revenue while also minimally impacting local residents," said Ian Grooms, AFSCME Local 127. For now, it's too early to tell how much of a dent revenue from all of the proposed parking changes will have on the budget deficit. “We are not going to solve a $250 million budget deficit with parking meter revenue alone," Whitburn said. Whitburn added that the council is waiting to see what the mayor’s budget proposal, which should be out around Apil 15, will include. A number of cuts and other revenue streams are likely. He also said the full council "will probably" take up the package of parking proposals in May. ...read more read less