# Chicago Could've Bought Back Its Parking Meters. The Mayor Said No.

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Text version: https://stenobird.com/podcast/the-block-club-chicago-podcast-3685203/chicago-could-ve-bought-back-its-parking-meters-the-mayor-said-no.md
Podcast: [The Block Club Chicago Podcast](https://stenobird.com/podcast/the-block-club-chicago-podcast-3685203)
Published: 2026-06-30T14:29:24+00:00
Episode link: https://its-all-good-the-block-club-chicago-podcast.simplecast.com/episodes/chicago-could-have-bought-back-its-parking-meters-the-mayor-said-no-ujiEdHWj
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Duration seconds: 1758

## Resource

Alderpeople learned last Thursday that Mayor Brandon Johnson’s administration secretly offered about $3.3 billion last fall to reclaim control of the city’s parking meters — a whopping $800 million more than the next-highest bidder. In a statement afterward, a spokesperson for the mayor said when Johnson decided to drop the city’s bid in January, he highlighted the high cost of regaining control of the meters.

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