Council approves parking control equipment replacement; staff chooses mobile license-plate readers over fixed system

The Mankato City Council approved a resolution accepting a feasibility report and ordering capital improvement project 11050 for parking control equipment replacement, and authorized the city manager to contract with T2 Systems through the Sourcewell cooperative purchasing agreement.

Council Member Deacon moved approval of the resolution; Council Member Hatapin seconded the motion, and roll-call votes were recorded in favor. The resolution authorizes replacement of parking control equipment and procurement through Sourcewell and includes procurement of license-plate reader (LPR) capability as part of the equipment package.

Parker Scophemer, who oversees the parking district and parking facilities, told the council staff evaluated a fixed LPR system but recommended a mobile LPR. "A couple of the reasons we didn't go with that is because it required more cameras because you have to have it at the entrance and exits of every single ramp ... And the other item was, as far as the enforcement goes, having the mobile LPR allowed our staff a little bit more flexibility ... We didn't feel it was appropriate to have, tickets issued automatically without a staff member going to that vehicle," Scophemer said.

City Manager Susan Arns added a budget context: the parking capital fund had an ending fund balance of about $1,500,000 at the end of the first quarter; the proposed project would reduce that balance to about $1,200,000, which she said aligns with the council-approved cash-flow assumptions in the city's budget.

No amendments to the resolution were offered at the meeting. Staff said the mobile LPR configuration reduces the number of fixed cameras needed at every ramp entrance and gives staff discretion before issuing enforcement actions.