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Committee advances ABM municipal parking contract; chair to push buyback resolution
Summary
The committee voted to forward a reimbursable contract with ABM Industry Groups LLC to full council and Chair Robin Wansley said she will introduce a resolution supporting a buyback program to have sworn officers work on duty under the contract; members also approved a staff directive to analyze parking-management practices and demand forecasts.
The Administration and Enterprise Oversight Committee of the City of Minneapolis voted Sept. 15 to send a contract with ABM Industry Groups LLC for professional municipal parking management to the full City Council and approved a staff directive to study parking-management practices and future demand.
Chair Robin Wansley said the ABM contract is reimbursable and acknowledged operational concerns raised about off-duty assignments. "I will be bringing forward a resolution of support, for a buyback to be used in this contract," Wansley said, describing a buyback program as a way to have sworn officers work on duty so the city can better track deployment and costs. She said implementing a buyback would require an operational change by the executive administration and that her resolution would state the council's support for the approach.
Wansley told colleagues she had reviewed the full contract with Public Works staff and thanked a staff member for a follow-up briefing that addressed outstanding questions about off-duty work and oversight. She said regular updates on reimbursements and operational decisions should be provided next year so the council can monitor outcomes.
Council Member Cashman, a co-author of the parking-related staff directive, said the directive asks staff to look nationally for comparable practices, to analyze which services are most cost-effective when provided by vendors versus the municipality, and to forecast off-street parking demand over five and 10 years. "The goal is to ensure we're getting value out of the large amount we spend on this off-street parking management," Cashman said.
Cashman also suggested the council consider where traffic-control staff on duty could meet public-safety needs and encouraged discussions about increasing general-fund transfers tied to parking revenue as part of longer-term budgeting.
The committee approved the staff directive by voice vote and then moved the ABM contract to full council by voice vote; the chair announced "the ayes have it." The contract will return to full council for final action and Wansley said she will also present the buyback resolution for council consideration.
