Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Parking Operations topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Parking manager: paid-parking rollout continuing as vendor troubles are fixed; commissioners press for staffing and reporting
Summary
Parking manager Stacy told the commission the paid-parking rollout on Elm Street and South Avenue continues with warnings during the holidays; new kiosks intermittently froze and the vendor is troubleshooting tap/reader and connectivity issues. Commissioners urged more enforcement staff and monthly reporting.
Stacy, the town’s parking manager, gave the commission an update on the paid-parking initiative and operational issues during the December meeting. "We are still kind of letting people know that this is a new initiative and guiding people that Elm Street and South Avenue is paid parking," Stacy said, adding staff provided warnings through the holiday period while educating drivers.
Stacy reported intermittent freezing of newly deployed kiosks that sometimes occurred during payment processing. "They finally figured that it was freezing," Stacy said. She described scenarios in which the machine would freeze at some point in the payment flow, preventing completion of the transaction for several minutes before resetting. Staff tested SIM cards and performed software updates; Stacy said the vendor is continuing to investigate whether the problem stems from the tap/reader hardware or connectivity.
The parking manager said two mobile apps are already available for payment ("Pay by phone" and "Passport") and that a third option (PROP mobile) was expected in the coming weeks.
Commissioners pressed Stacy about enforcement staffing and data. Several commissioners said enforcement capacity was reduced since COVID and that weekend and Saturday coverage and an additional attendant should be considered. "I do think it's important" to add another enforcement body, Stacy said she would include that recommendation in the upcoming budget process.
Commissioners also asked for better reporting to evaluate the rollout, including monthly totals, year-over-year comparisons, and breakdowns by officer and violation code. Stacy said she could prepare an end-of-year report comparing 2024 and 2025 and could generate monthly breakdowns and by-officer data on request.
Stacy emphasized the department is monitoring kiosks daily and working with the vendor on replacements or repairs if fixes fail. "If nothing fixes it, then they will replace what they need to, whether it's the machining or the internal parts or anything," she said.
The commission did not take new formal action on procurement or new hires at the meeting; commissioners asked staff to include staffing and reporting recommendations in the next budget discussions.
