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Deputy city manager outlines proposed downtown timed‑parking plan after public survey
Summary
Deputy City Manager Joy Dunn presented a committee proposal to regulate roughly 245 on‑street spaces with two‑hour limits, Monday–Friday, following community outreach (300+ survey responses); staff recommended avoiding revenue‑sharing turnkey enforcement and converting criminal penalties to civil ones via ordinance.
Deputy City Manager Joy Dunn briefed the City of Bryan council on Nov. 11 on a committee proposal for timed on‑street parking downtown and the public engagement that shaped it.
Dunn said the city held public meetings and an online survey in September with more than 300 responses; the committee revised the original map to exclude blocks that primarily front office buildings and recommended a Monday–Friday timed program (two‑hour limit during business hours) covering about 245 on‑street spaces while keeping roughly 192 spaces excluded or off‑street. The committee proposed the initial program be flexible and piloted: "This is a recommendation for initial timed parking. This does not mean that this is forever set in stone," Dunn said.
Staff said they issued an RFP in September and received six proposals for enforcement technology and services and are weighing options that would allow the city to collect evidence (camera/video) while avoiding revenue‑sharing contracts meant to incentivize citations. Dunn said legal is drafting an ordinance to convert the current criminal penalty for parking violations to a civil penalty and that state law creates considerations for contracting with automatic enforcement vendors.
Council members raised concerns about pilot boundaries and signage, the effect on adjacent blocks and employees who park all day, and monitoring costs. Mayor and several council members supported first addressing signage, a clear pilot area and a flexible technology approach that can be adjusted after an initial trial.
Next steps: staff will return with ordinance language and vendor/technology recommendations in coming meetings, with a goal of bringing an ordinance and a selected technology back to council for consideration in December.
