The City’s next step in resolving downtown parking problems is in the hands of the lawyers.

City administrator David Trawin said Friday a short list has been drafted from the 10 submissions to the call for expressions of interest in downtown parking that went out several weeks ago.

Some of those submissions were as simple as someone having land available, or being willing to build a parkade if the City paid for it.

Trawin said the next step is to sit down with the more suitable options and do some negotiating.

But the City might be required to put out a formal request for proposals (RFP) because of municipal regulations.

The problem is, the range of the ideas and options submitted is so wide, it would be difficult to encompass them all in one RFP, he said.

The call for expressions of interest was deliberately made wide open so the City could get a broad range of responses and options, Trawin explained.

But now that it’s getting down to a short list, the field has to be narrowed and so do the possibilities.

“We’re trying to figure out whether we can just talk to a shortlist of those who submitted based on the parameters, or if we need to go to an RFP,” he said.

Trawin said he wants to get the parking improvements started soon, so he went to the lawyers today and expects to hear back next week. If an RFP process is required, he expects to have that out in a couple of weeks.

While there’s no set date to get a parkade or other options in the ground, he wants it to happen as soon as possible, he said.