Board approves amended SFMTA parking‑meter contract, limits new meters to 5,000

The San Francisco Board of Supervisors on Tuesday approved a revised contract authorizing the San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency (SFMTA) to replace the city’s single‑space parking meters and to purchase an option for up to 5,000 additional meters for maintenance and replacement, cutting an earlier proposal that allowed for up to 10,000 optional meters.

The amendment, introduced by Supervisor Avalos and seconded by Supervisor Mar, narrows the optional expansion from 10,000 to 5,000 meters and specifies how the optional 5,000 would be used: 1,200 to replace port meters, 2,800 to replace damaged meters, and 1,000 held as a maintenance float. The board adopted the measure after extended questioning of SFMTA staff about outreach and limits on future meter expansion. The final roll call was 10 ayes, 1 no.

Why it matters: Supervisors and residents have raised concerns about surprise meter expansions into largely residential blocks and about adequate community outreach. The amendment aims to preserve the city’s ability to maintain and replace meters while constraining the SFMTA’s ability to undertake large new installations without returning to the board.

What the board approved and how it changed: The item as read into the record authorized the SFMTA to enter a procurement not to exceed $54,000,000 for single‑space parking meters and support services; Supervisor Avalos’s amendment reduced the not‑to‑exceed amount by $2,800,000 to $51,200,000 and lowered the optional additional meters from 10,000 to 5,000. Ed Reiskin, director of transportation at SFMTA, told the board the underlying contract was structured as a seven‑year procurement to replace and maintain the city’s asset base of about 25,000 single‑space meters; the clerk’s introduction of the item referenced a five‑year term, a discrepancy discussed during the hearing.

Board and staff positions: Supervisor Avalos framed the amendment as a response to community concern about meter expansion and outreach. SFMTA Director Ed Reiskin said the reduced option would still permit routine replacements, repairs and a small reserve for the Port of San Francisco but would not allow the agency to accommodate large‑scale new meter installations within this contract; larger expansions would require a separate authorization and additional board approval. Deputy City Attorney John Giffner told the board that the amendment’s “whereas” clause describing how the optional meters would be allocated is not legally binding on the SFMTA, though the contract authorizing purchase of up to 5,000 optional meters is binding.

Questions supervisors pressed: Supervisors asked whether the 5,000 figure would cover requests such as a recent 415‑meter request for Showplace Square (SFMTA said no) and what constitutes a “small” meter request. Reiskin described three public‑notice tiers tied to project size (roughly 1–50, 51–100, and greater than 100) and said the 5,000 option would realistically allow SFMTA to respond only to very small, scattered requests (for example, a handful of single‑meter requests) without returning to the board.

Vote and next steps: The board adopted Supervisor Avalos’s amendment without objection and approved the underlying measure as amended (10 ayes, 1 no). Reiskin told supervisors SFMTA expects to start installing replacement meters early in 2014, with a projected completion of replacement of the city’s existing meters by the end of calendar year 2014 if the procurement proceeds as planned. Reiskin also said the SFMTA board adopted enhanced public‑notification requirements for new meter installations on Nov. 19, 2013.

Ending note: Supervisors emphasized that any significant or area‑wide expansion of metering beyond routine maintenance should come back to the board with a clear outreach program; SFMTA said the adopted changes and the smaller optional amount make that scenario unlikely within this contract.