Memorandum

City of Lawrence

City Manager’s Office

TO:	Mayor and City Commissioners
FROM:	City Manager David L. Corliss
DATE:	August 6, 2013
RE:	Parking control and rates for the new Vermont Street Parking Garage

As the Commission knows, later this early fall the new parking garage facility in the 700 block of Vermont will open for public use.   This facility will have approximately 324 spaces (versus the approximately 125 spaces in the now-replaced surface lot).   Staff is recommending that an automated/gated parking control system be installed at this parking garage (see attached memo).  This is a similar system (but not similar rates) that is used at the two University of Kansas parking garages.  Staff is recommending this system for several reasons, including the desire to increase automation in our downtown parking system and in recognition of desire of many parking patrons to pay with credit cards versus coins.   Automation allows for increased efficiency for our parking control officers and municipal court clerks – we will have substantially reduced labor costs to patrol these 324 spaces with an automated system versus having a parking control officer issue citations for overtime violations, a municipal court clerk issue/mail violation notices and post payments, prosecutors to prosecute violations etc.   

Funding for this acquisition will come from parking funds allocated in our capital reserve fund.

The City Commission has complete authority on establishing the rates and hours of usage for the parking garage.  The previous surface lot was a mixture of metered 2 hour parking (50 cents per hour) and 10 hour parking (10 cents per hour).  Staff recommends that a 20 cent per hour parking charge be established for the garage with enforcement hours between 9:00 a.m. and 6:00 p.m.  Long term passes would also be sold (current price of $192 per year, with pro-rata availability), there would be a one-time charge to purchase proximity cards.   All parkers entering the garage would receive a timed ticket indicating their arrival time and will re-enter that timed ticket upon exit with payment via either a credit card or a purchased voucher from a pay on foot station located in the garage.  They will be charged only for the hours between 9:00 a.m. and 6:00 p.m.    Purchased vouchers would be available for parkers desiring to purchase a voucher with bills or coins.

In establishing the rates for this facility – as in all of our parking rates – it is important to balance the significant and growing costs (primarily personnel related) in our parking fund which monitors/enforces our parking system with the desire to have convenient, cost friendly parking for downtown patrons and employees.   We are taking on a new parking facility which will add maintenance and cleaning costs to our system – at this time we are not adding personnel but will continue to evaluate staffing and maintenance budgets in the future.   

Recommended Action:

Approve acquisition of parking access equipment project in the total amount of $190,731.99 and establish the parking charge rate at 20 cents per hour (9:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m.) in the Vermont parking garage.