Title
Recommendation to Provide Direction to Increase Parking Enforcement Resources to Support Parking and Transportation Management Goals. (Public Works 224)
Body
To: Honorable Mayor and Members of the City Council
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
Over the past decade, the City Council has adopted a variety of plans, policies, and goals to address transportation and parking management. Achieving many of these goals requires a well-designed, consistently operated, fully staffed parking enforcement program. The City of Alameda’s (City) parking enforcement program lacks sufficient enforcement staffing to meet the City Council’s current and future policy objectives. Staff has identified four primary alternatives for City Council to consider to improve the enforcement program.
At this time, staff is seeking City Council direction to move forward with one of the four alternatives to increase parking enforcement in support of the City’s existing and future transportation and parking policy objectives. These alternatives include 1) making no change to the existing program, 2) expanding the existing program with more staff, 3) redesigning the program to expand the parking division of the Police Department, and 4) contracting with a third party vendor for enforcement.
BACKGROUND
Transportation and traffic congestion is consistently ranked by residents and businesses as one of the most important issues affecting the quality of life and business climate in the City. The City’s General Plan, Transportation Choices Plan, and the Alameda Point Transportation Management Plan all require that the City manage parking supply as a means to manage traffic congestion and reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions in the City.
In 2014, the City Council approved a parking occupancy goal of 85% for its existing 1,100+ paid parking spaces. This goal followed a study of the City’s parking occupancy, which revealed that levels were often too high, causing congestion and related impacts. Managing parking enables customers to park near businesses and relieves congestion. By helping ensure that every block has a couple of parking spaces available, parking management can reduce circling and double-parking, making streets safer for people walking, biking, and driving. Congested areas have high levels of pedestrians, and drivers looking for parking are distracted; the more turns these drivers make, the more risk there is for pedestrians. Therefore, managing the parking supply and effectively enforcing parking regulations is instrumental to not only ensuring the health of the business community, but it is also critical to the City’s ability to achieve its Vision Zero policy goals of eliminating fatalities and severe injuries on the City’s public roadway network.
In May of this year, the City Council adopted a Climate Change Emergency Resolution. On July 16, the City Council considered the updated Climate Action and Resiliency Plan, which identifies the need to reduce automobile trips and manage parking to reduce GHG emissions throughout the City. Parking pricing and parking time limits can also be used to influence transportation mode choice, and play a key role in a reducing the number of single occupancy vehicles that are the primary contributors to local traffic congestion and local GHG emissions. For these reasons, along with its 85% occupancy goal, the City Council approved infrastructure upgrades to prepare the City to better manage pricing and time limits, including installing new smart single space meters, improving parking guidance signage, and refreshing curb painting. Despite having completed these improvements, data collected in 2017 showed that, at many times of day, the Park Street and Webster Street areas continued to have parking occupancies well above the goal and were generally similar to the occupancy that drove the 2014 goal. Without consistent enforcement resulting in compliance, improvements and upgrades to parking infrastructure alone will not significantly improve occupancy management.
The 2014 Alameda Point Transportation Management Plan and the 2018 Transportation Choices Plan (TCP) both utilize and require parking management to reduce traffic and GHG emissions citywide and at Alameda Point. These two plans recommend:
1. Implementing paid parking at the Harbor Bay Ferry Terminal, Main Street Ferry Terminal, and new Seaplane Lagoon Ferry Terminal.
2. Restricting the supply of free private parking at Alameda Point and providing City-owned shared public parking lots and on-street parking restrictions that can be managed through paid parking policies.
3. Increasing parking fees citywide to maintain a goal of 85% occupancy.
4. Establishing parking restrictions, parking charges, and other transportation demand management strategies on “Day One” of new developments, so that new residents, businesses, and visitors are not asked to adapt to and embrace new strategies at a later date.
In less than 12 months and after 20 years of planning, the first new residents will be moving to Alameda Point Town Center, and the new Seaplane Lagoon Ferry Terminal will be opening for business. With these exciting developments, the City’s parking supply and parking management responsibilities will expand dramatically. Overall, Alameda Point represents a major expansion of the City’s parking management responsibilities. With two regional ferry terminals, plans for 1,425 housing units and 9,000 new jobs, plans for approximately 4,000 new public parking spaces and over 900 acres to manage, the redevelopment of Alameda Point represents both an opportunity to effectively manage future traffic and a major challenge for the expansion of the City’s existing parking program.
DISCUSSION
Parking and traffic management requires parking enforcement. Traffic and parking management through paid parking and time limits is ineffective without enforcement. The City cannot even effectively evaluate its meter rates without effective enforcement.
The City’s parking program is not adequately staffed to effectively manage the existing parking supply, and subsequently cannot manage the expanded demands at Alameda Point. The existing program is comprised of eight part-time Police Assistant positions in the Alameda Police Department but only three part-time positions are currently filled due to high turnover rates stemming from being a part-time position. The current active enforcement staff represents less than 30% of the City’s current estimated enforcement needs. An additional full-time, grant-funded position covers abandoned vehicle monitoring and enforcement.
A significant redesign and expansion of the parking enforcement program is necessary to effectively manage the City’s current parking supply and the addition of paid parking at the Seaplane Lagoon, Main Street, and Harbor Bay Ferry Terminals, as well as at Alameda Point.
As shown in the table below, the redesign and expansion of the citywide parking program can occur in phases:
|
Phase |
Estimated Timing |
Parking Enforcement Service Areas |
Enforcement Impacts |
|
1 |
Immediate |
Existing Operations (primarily Park Street and Webster Street business areas) |
Find ways to effectively fill existing vacant parking enforcement positions to address existing need and provide adequate coverage for the existing operation. |
|
2 |
Summer 2020 |
Seaplane Lagoon, Main Street and Harbor Bay Ferry Terminals |
Implement paid and permit parking and enforcement at Alameda Point Ferry Terminals. If feasible and cost effective, initiate paid parking at Harbor Bay Ferry Terminal simultaneously. Enforce ferry parking 4:00 a.m. - 10:00 p.m. during the week, and 8:30 a.m. - 10:00 p.m. on Saturday. |
|
3 |
2020-2025 |
Alameda Point Site A, Historic District and Enterprise District Enforcement and Monitoring |
Begin enforcement at the Site A parking facilities and surrounding on-street residential parking at the same time that Phase 2 is commenced. This phase will impact approximately 2,000 parking spaces. Enforcement coverage is estimated to be 4:00 a.m. - 10:00 p.m. during the week, and 8:30 a.m. - 10:00 p.m. on Saturday. |
|
4 |
2026-2040 |
Alameda Point and Citywide Program buildout |
Parking program growth stabilizes as Alameda Point completes build out; three ferry terminals reach maximum service capacity; and Northern Waterfront, Harbor Bay Business Park and other areas reach full buildout. |
Options / Alternatives for Council Consideration and Direction
The following paragraphs outline four options for City Council consideration, including possible direction, and eventual action:
Option 1: Take No Action to Change the Parking Enforcement Program. The City Council could choose to take no action and maintain the existing design and size of the parking management program. Staff does not recommend this option because it would limit the City’s ability to implement most of its policies and plans designed to manage traffic and parking in the City or use traffic and parking management to reduce GHG emissions. , This option would hinder the City’s ability to reduce citywide GHG emissions.
This option would not generate any new financial impact, except for increases in operating costs such as processing fees and hardware and the step increases and cost of living adjustments for existing part-time staff. This option would not result in any new significant legal risks.
• Current: $545,000
• Full Buildout: $545,000*
*Cost estimate is at current rates/costs and does not account for inflation.
Option 2: Expand But Do Not Redesign the Parking Enforcement Program. The City Council could choose to expand the current program with more part-time Police Assistants. Similar to option 1, this option would generate limited new financial impacts and no additional legal risks for the City.
There is a concern that the City has been unable to fill existing vacant part-time positions because the pay is not competitive and the position does not provide benefits to the part-time positions. Under the current program, filling these positions and retaining qualified individuals is very difficult. Currently, a portion of an existing Sergeant’s time is used for overseeing this staffing and it is expected that proceeding with this option would increase the amount of time the Sergeant spends on part-time staff management. Staff does not recommend this option because staff does not believe that the City will be able to maintain a consistently staffed parking enforcement program with part-time employees.
Option 3: Redesign and Expand the Parking Division within the Police Department
The City Council could fund a major redesign and expansion of the parking division within the Alameda Police Department. This option does not include any new legal risks, but it does require the largest financial commitment of all four options. This option also increases the City’s pension and other post-employment benefits (OPEB) liabilities.
This option includes:
• Creation of a new full-time, benefited, Parking Enforcement Officer (PEO) classification to perform the duties of parking meter enforcement such as time limits, street sweeping, residential parking preference zones, disability parking zones, blocked driveways, and more.
• Recruitment and hiring of up to seven full-time PEO positions as soon as possible to enforce the City’s existing supply, with an additional three positions when paid parking begins at the Seaplane Lagoon and Main Street Ferry Terminals. The expansion of the number of positions will continue throughout the Alameda Point build out, ultimately resulting in 17 full-time employees to effectively enforce the City’s entire supply. These total numbers include senior officers and the necessary supervisor.
• Establishing two additional new classifications of a Senior PEO to assist with the expanded number of PEO positions plus a Parking Enforcement Supervisor for overall management the PEOs unit.
• All new positions would be non-sworn, and either overseen by a sworn Police Lieutenant or become a Division of another Department.
• Acquisition or purchase of additional office space, equipment, software licenses, and vehicles to support the new expanded division.
To fund this option, the City Council should anticipate the following annual costs to cover personnel, vehicles, hardware, software, processing fees (but not including office space, Human Resource hours, overhead, or pension and OPEB liabilities):
• Current: $1,033,000
• Full Buildout: $2,772,000*
*Cost estimate is at current rates/costs and does not account for inflation.
Unlike the first two options, staff believes that option three would achieve most of the City’s adopted transportation and parking management policy goals. The one exception might be timing. This option will likely take longer to implement than Option #4, which means that it cannot be accomplished in time for “Day One” opening of the new neighborhood and new Seaplane Ferry Terminal at Alameda Point in 2020. It should be assumed that in the best case scenario, this option would take two to three years to implement, and effective paid parking and enforcement at the Ferry Terminals and at Alameda Point would begin at that time.
Option 4: Contract with a Third-Party Vendor for Enforcement.
The City could contract with a third-party vendor to operate an expanded Citywide parking enforcement program.
Similar to Option #3, this could achieve all of the City Council’s transportation and parking management policy goals. It differs from Option #3 in that it can be implemented in time for “Day One” at Alameda Point, and it would be significantly less expensive than Option 3. The major disadvantage of Option #4 is that it entails more legal risk than all three prior options.
Numerous California general law and charter cities have successfully contracted for parking enforcement services, including Anaheim, Antioch, Chula Vista, Covina, Fullerton, Glendale, Inglewood, Long Beach, Los Angeles/LA Metro, Newport Beach, Palm Springs, Palo Alto, Pasadena, Salinas, San Clemente, San Gabriel, San Juan Capistrano, San Leandro, Santa Ana, Santa Clarita, City of Vallejo, and West Hollywood. Of those communities, nine of them including neighboring San Leandro, have extended their contract or signed a new one since 2016.
The City of San Mateo recently released a Request for Proposal (RFP) to contract parking enforcement. They have been enforcing parking with a combination of full-time and part-time staff (including 14 part-time PEOs) and decided that contracting would be a better fit for their city. The City of San Leandro recently completed the RFP process to contract for parking enforcement operations. The three-year contract includes a private parking operator providing 4,400 hours of parking enforcement services per year including labor, uniforms, equipment and vehicles.
To facilitate the transition to a contract enforcement solution, the City could require that a contractor offer a transition program for existing Police Assistant employees, subject to minimum qualifications, background checks, and specified hiring criteria. Third-party vendors offer both union and non-union labor options based upon the City’s specification.
Based on current research, it appears the best option for the City would be a turnkey solution in which vehicles, equipment, labor, and office space are provided by the private operator at an hourly rate. In either case, the City specifies the needs for the services requested and mutually establishes a schedule in coordination with the vendor’s scope of contracted services. The program will be closely monitored by City staff, with the oversight of the program remaining in the Police Department. Contract performance requirements regulate how to address customer complaints and the notification protocols for any community issues that may arise. Policies and operational procedures must be approved by the City and vendors must monitor their field staff to ensure compliance and customer satisfaction.
The City could choose whether contracted employees enforce the Alameda Municipal Code (AMC), California Vehicle Code, or both. Most other cities’ contracts include both. If the contract only covers the AMC, the City would maintain full- or part-time staffing to enforce California Vehicle Code, which includes important violations like illegal parking in blue disability zones and blocking crosswalks. The AMC covers meters, time limits, off-street parking lots, and residential parking preference permit zones.
Contracted services have continually demonstrated annual cost savings and an increased level of service and consistent application of the parking regulations. It is anticipated that annual costs, including personnel, vehicles, hardware, software, processing fees (but not including office space) would amount to the following:
• Current needs: $619,000
• Full Buildout: $1,475,000*
*Cost estimate is at current rates/costs and does not account for inflation.
Following Council’s direction, staff proposes returning to City Council with a detailed plan to execute improvements to the parking enforcement program.
FINANCIAL IMPACT
Depending on the option the City Council selects, staff will develop and recommend a more detailed budget. Preliminary expenditure estimates for the various options discussed are presented in the table below. Note that cost estimates are at current rates/costs and do not account for inflation:
|
Time Frame |
Retain Existing Enforcement Model (Option 1)* |
Expand Existing Enforcement Model (Option 2)** |
Expand Parking Enforcement In-House (Option 3)*** |
Contract with a Third-Party for Enforcement (Option 4)**** |
|
Current Level |
$545,000 |
$685,000 |
$1,033,000 |
$619,000 |
|
Full Buildout |
$545,000 |
$1,868,000 |
$2,772,000 |
$1,475,000 |
*Option 1 numbers reflect the eight positions currently budgeted, all assumed to work 28 hours per week. Assumptions include an increase in operating supplies. In reality, due to difficulty staffing these part-time positions, the City is retaining three Police Assistants working an average of 22 hours per week.
**Option 2 estimates assume full staffing using part-time Police Assistants. Assumptions include an increase in operating supplies. Staff has concluded that this is not feasible due to difficulties hiring and retaining part-time staff.
***Option 3 estimates do not include long-term pension or OPEB liabilities related to Option #3. Assumptions include an increase in operating supplies.
****Option 4 assumptions include a portion of Alameda Police Department time for contract oversight.
Options 3 and 4 will establish consistent enforcement, which will increase rate and citation revenues, although it is expected that with consistent enforcement, citation revenue will ultimately decrease as compliance increases.
Option 4 estimates the maximum cost at full buildout of Alameda Point and it is expected that from years 2026 through 2050 costs will incrementally increase until they reach the full buildout costs by 2050.
The General Fund is a direct beneficiary of the parking enforcement program. In Fiscal Year 2018-19, the City collected $543,000 in parking fines revenue. Due to difficulty in hiring and retaining part-time staff, this revenue has been going down over the last few years as presented in the table below.
|
Fiscal Year |
Budget |
Actual |
|
2018-19 |
$600,000 |
$543,000 |
|
2017-18 |
$750,000 |
$631,365 |
|
2016-17 |
$750,000 |
$617,750 |
|
2015-16 |
$950,000 |
$812,153 |
In addition, the City collects parking meter rate revenue that is being accounted for in the Parking Special Revenue Fund. These monies pay for the parking meter maintenance program, including capital expenditures and debt service on the Civic Center parking structure.
|
Fiscal Year |
Budget |
Actual |
|
2018-19 |
$1,433,000 |
$1,197,861 |
|
2017-18 |
$1,433,333 |
$1,139,668 |
|
2016-17 |
$1,513,453 |
$1,393,477 |
|
2015-16 |
$1,479,150 |
$1,365,685 |
Consistent and effective enforcement will result in stabilized parking program revenue (particularly rate revenue). It would be expected that the citation revenue will decline due to increased compliance.
It is expected that with consistent enforcement of the City’s existing paid parking supply, rate revenue at current rates would amount to approximately $2,000,000 annually. This estimate does not assume any changes to existing rates and time limits.
Assuming the existing maximum hourly rate and paid parking hours were applied to all of the new paid parking supply at Alameda Point at full buildout, rate revenue would amount to approximately $5,000,000 - $8,000,000 annually.
As noted above, rate revenue pays for the parking meter maintenance program, including capital expenditures. It is expected that with the addition of new parking supply those operating costs will also increase. It is also expected that once enforcement is consistent, citation revenue will decrease.
It is expected that once enforcement is consistent, the City can begin the process of evaluating and updating paid parking rates, including considering the addition of dynamic pricing, to effectively cover the costs of the program and best meet transportation and occupancy goals. As is the case with some agencies, the City might set policy and rates to generate net revenue, which could be used to support a variety of services such as the City’s transportation goals or public right-of-way services/improvements. It should be noted that given the City’s policy goals to reduce traffic and move users to other modes of transit (public transportation usage, bicycling, walking), it is expected that over the course of time paid parking revenue will steadily decrease as users make other mode choices.
MUNICIPAL CODE/POLICY DOCUMENT CROSS REFERENCE
AMC Chapter 8 contains parking prohibitions and Chapter 12 covers public parking regulations. California Vehicle Code Chapter 9 is dedicated to stopping, standing, and parking.
ENVIRONMENTAL REVIEW
In accordance with the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA), this project is Categorically Exempt pursuant CEQA Guidelines Section 15301 (c) Existing Facilities.
CLIMATE IMPACTS
Options 3 and 4 are significantly better than Options 1 and 2 at addressing the City’s climate change goals.
Parking management plays an important role in reducing GHG emissions from private vehicles. Achieving an 85% occupancy goal means that every block has a couple of open parking spaces, and drivers can park quickly rather than continuing to drive while looking for parking. Reducing double-parking also helps buses run efficiently on commercial corridors, making it that much more viable for people to choose buses over driving. Furthermore, consistently enforced paid parking programs can influence mode choice. Free parking provides a powerful incentive to drive; when parking is priced right and enforced for compliance, people are more likely to consider other modes of travel. Parking management also plays a key role in improving street sweeping effectiveness and litter control by providing the street sweepers better access to the curbline. Improved litter collection at the curbline ensures compliance with regulatory litter control programs and improves local flood control resiliency by keeping more litter out of the municipal storm drainage system.
RECOMMENDATION
Provide direction to increase parking enforcement resources to support parking and transportation management goals.
CITY MANAGER RECOMMENDATION
In addition, to the four options laid out in the report, there are two quasi-options the City Council could consider. The City Council could combine options 2 and 3 and manage the enforcement where the City could target the enforcement in order to manage the 85% occupancy rate to occur in the most desirable areas.
A second quasi-alternative would be to look to partner and / or contract with another local agency.
Based on my experience with parking in three other communities, I want to ensure the Council is aware of several factors.
1. A better managed program will better enable the City to meet some of the City’s Active Transportation and Climate Change goals.
2. The City may want to begin with a more targeted approach to ensure that the most prime parking is the primary area enforced first and provides for most turnover. Also this approach should reduce certain amount of congestion.
3. My experience is once this is in the implementation phase, the City Council will experience an up-tick in complaints due to (for example):
a. It being more difficult or expensive for employees in certain areas to find parking.
b. An increase in tickets will create an increase in complaints.
c. The City will be going to paid parking at the Ferry terminals which will create a change in parking and if not enforced could create more parking in the neighborhoods.
Respectfully submitted,
Andrew Thomas, Planning, Building & Transportation Director
Paul Rolleri, Chief of Police
Liam Garland, Public Works Director
By,
Liz Acord, Public Works Coordinator
Financial Impact section reviewed,
Elena Adair, Finance Director
cc: Eric Levitt, City Manager