Back in May, Face the State published an excellent analysis of what's going on with the Denver budget now that the city is installing solar-powered meters that operate not just with coins but also with credit cards. It turns out they're great for ticket-worthy types typically caught without change before a business meeting. In other words, the city is making a lot less money on tickets, leaving meter officers with less work than in years past. Another way to avoid parking tickets, of course, is to park in a downtown garage. And that's not so cheap either. The median hourly parking rate in Denver garages is $8, which is a lot more than the average national urban hourly rate of $5.62, according to a Colliers International survey cited by the Denver Business Journal. Rates for monthly garage parking and reserved parking are both higher than the national average. Average daily rates are the only parking costs in Denver roughly on par with the national average: $16 a day versus the average $16.36. Of course, the rates are nothing compared to New York City, where the hourly fee is $20 and the daily is $40. The rates in Denver have held steady despite the economic downturn of recent years, notes Colliers.