Seal Beach council hears plan to refresh city parking LPR technology; vendor chosen previously, no vote recorded

Kevin Edwards, the city’s information technology manager, told the Seal Beach City Council on Feb. 24 that staff plans to refresh the city’s aging parking license-plate-recognition (LPR) hardware and software that support parking enforcement and related services.

Edwards said the system ties together multiple vendor products — mobile data terminals, handheld devices, vehicle-mounted LPR cameras, pay stations and in-house servers — and that “this is one of the more complex deployments in our city.” He said some equipment is at end of life and maintenance is harder because components come from different manufacturers.

The refresh targets equipment in six vehicles. Edwards said the council previously approved an allocation of about $242,000 for the project. Lieutenant Hendricks, who helped with the city’s RFP, told the council the selected distributor, ComSonics, submitted a proposal “just under $215,000,” which staff said would leave roughly $30,000 of the original allocation unspent.

Why it matters

City staff said failures of older LPR equipment have reduced efficiency, risked parking revenue and…