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Staff briefs commission on parking benefit districts and PTMDs, reports fund balances
Summary
City staff reviewed the history, governance and funding of parking benefit districts and Parking and Transportation Management Districts (PTMDs), noting ordinances in city code (12-6 and 12-7) and reporting preliminary available balances for West Campus (~$1.2M), East Austin (~$1.2M), South Congress (~$41K now, >$1M expected Oct. 1), Mueller (~$425K) and Colorado River (~$5K).
At the June 2 meeting the Urban Transportation Commission received an overview of Austin’s parking benefit districts and Parking and Transportation Management Districts (PTMDs). Joseph Vohadry (Parking Enterprise Division manager) walked commissioners through the program history, related city code and how districts propose and deliver projects.
Vohadry summarized two city code authorities: the parking benefit district (code 12-6), established after an early federal grant pilot in West Campus, and the PTMD ordinance (12-7), adopted in 2014 to provide a broader community and business stakeholder process. He said PTMDs are intended to designate a district where paid parking is implemented and a portion of revenue (51% of paid parking revenue, after city expenses) is put into an account for local mobility and streetscape projects.
Staff described the application and ordinance-adoption process, the formation of local advisory boards, and the typical project pipeline (advisory board project request, internal design and engineering approval, and director-level funding signoff). Vohadry noted common challenges including inconsistent advisory board membership and the multi-year time it can take to accumulate meaningful funds.
Commissioners asked about advisory board cadence and decision-making. Staff described advisory boards as stakeholder groups that originally met quarterly and now vary by district; boards identify projects, request financials, and submit project scopes that staff carries through engineering and approvals. Staff emphasized the need for better coordination and more public-facing district information, including annual district reports to improve transparency about how parking revenues are spent.
Staff also provided preliminary balances (caveated by timing of FY25 collections): West Campus approximately $1.2 million available (some encumbered), East Austin roughly $1.2 million, South Congress about $41,000 currently with an expected larger incoming amount on Oct. 1 (staff estimated more than $1 million would be available then), Mueller about $425,000 (with some funds already committed to projects), and the Colorado River PTMD roughly $5,000. Staff said they will follow up with final actuals as FY25 funds are posted to accounts.
