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Downtown parking pilot logs high over-time rate; committee recommends consolidated timing, public outreach and civil enforcement option
Summary
A 30-day pilot monitoring five on-street 90-minute spaces recorded roughly 1,099 parking sessions and 265 over-time events (about 24% overall). During Monday–Friday 6 a.m. to 6 p.m. the pilot captured about 809 sessions with 243 over-time events (about 30%). The downtown parking committee recommends a targeted strategy, public engagement with
Joy Dunn, deputy city manager, presented results from a 30-day downtown parking pilot conducted with a vendor at no cost to the city and summarized the downtown parking committee's next-step recommendations.
Pilot results: the pilot deployed five solar-powered, wireless sensors in front of 90-minute on-street spaces on Main Street and logged 1,099 parking sessions over 30 days; the vendor detected 265 total over-time events (about 24% of sessions). Focusing on weekday business hours (Monday–Friday, 6 a.m.–6 p.m.), the pilot recorded about 809 sessions and 243 over-time events (about 30% violation rate during those peak hours).
Repeat offenders and technology options: the vendor identified repeat vehicles with multiple violations during the pilot window. Staff described alternate sensor approaches such as lot-entry cameras that monitor rows of spaces rather than per-space sensors and noted ongoing coordination with the county manager on real-time garage-availability signage for the Roy Kelly parking garage.
Committee recommendations and council feedback: the downtown parking committee recommended developing a consolidated time-limit strategy (for example standardizing time limits on Main Street), public engagement with downtown merchants, considering an ordinance change to shift parking over-time enforcement from criminal to civil penalties, and pursuing an integrated technical solution with a third-party vendor (via RFP) if council chooses to proceed. Several councilmembers urged grace periods or first-time waivers to avoid creating punitive outcomes for legitimate visitors and emphasized that paid parking is not the preferred first option.
Safety and access concerns: council members raised safety and use concerns about the Roy Kelly parking garage and asked staff to coordinate with the county on monitoring and security; staff said they would follow up with the county and the vendor.
Next steps: staff will meet again with the parking committee, conduct targeted public engagement with downtown merchants, and return with ordinance options, an enforcement strategy and procurement steps if council directs further work.
