Downtown Parking

If you want to get your 2, or twenty-five cents, in on changes to the downtown parking ordinances, the city council will take them up at next Tuesday's meeting at 6 p.m.. Currently the proposals are a $30 permit for employees of downtown businesses for 6 months and a $25 annual parking permit for residents of Carbondale. Proof of employment and/or proof of residency would be required for either along with the payment. Additionally, the ordinance regarding senior citizen permits would allow commercial vehicles to use a senior citizen permit only when the registered senior citizen is present.

Subject

Ordinances Amending Title 18 Chapter 12 of the Carbondale Revised Code by Establishing Sections 16 and 17 for Downtown Employee Parking and Resident Parking Permits and an Ordinance Amending the Types of Vehicles for Which a Senior Citizen Parking Permit May be Issued Pursuant to Title Eighteen Chapter Twelve Section 12

Type

Action

Recommended Action

Approve Ordinances establishing a Downtown Employee Parking Permit and Resident Parking Permit and approve an Ordinance amending Title Eighteen Chapter Twelve Section 12 as it relates to the types of vehicles for which a Senior Citizen Parking Permit may be utilized

Goals

Goal #1: Provide a high quality-of-life and foster a sense of community for all residents

Goal #3: Demonstrate fiscal responsibility and transparency while providing high-quality City services

Originating Department: Finance

Background:

In late August 2018, a petition in support of free parking for downtown employees was submitted to the Carbondale City Council. A public discussion regarding this proposal took place during the February 12, 2019, City Council meeting. In response to the input from the Council and the public, a survey of business owners was conducted, and several internal meetings were held to develop recommendations.

A Resolution suspending the enforcement of metered parking in the downtown and authorizing the City Manager to issue up to 10 employee parking passes to each downtown business was adopted in May 2019, effective July 1, 2019, through January 1, 2020. Staff monitored the utilization of parking during this period to ascertain whether the free parking program helped attract more people to the downtown. Following the analysis of parking usage, it was the opinion of Staff that the free parking trial period did not result in an increase in consumer traffic and, as such, advised the City Council to reinstate meter enforcement.

On December 10, 2019, the City Council approved a Resolution reinstating the enforcement of metered parking in the downtown area effective January 2, 2020. A Resolution allowing the issuance of up to ten (10) employee parking passes to downtown businesses to allow employees to park without meter payment failed to be approved. During the discussion of the employee parking pass Resolution, the Council asked City Staff to bring back additional options for parking in the downtown.

On January 14, 2020, the City Council discussed two City Staff proposals (listed below as Ordinance 1 and Ordinance 2) and heard comments from those in attendance. While many alternatives were proposed, there was no consensus reached as to the specific direction for both permits. Therefore, they are being re-submitted with minimal adjustments.

To clarify Staff's reasoning for the differences in the permits, we offer the following:

RESIDENT PERMIT

• The resident permit is being proposed as a choice, and benefit, for permanent residents of Carbondale. It's not intended for temporary or transient residents of the City.
• A resident can purchase the convenience of not having to pay a meter or kiosk whenever they park in a City-owned parking space.
• The utilization of a resident permit is determined by the individual resident; it could be daily or sporadically.
• The convenience of having a resident permit may facilitate increased usage of downtown businesses.

DOWNTOWN EMPLOYEE PERMIT

• Downtown employee permits have an expectation of constant and consistent utilization, as well as convenience; this expectation justifies the higher price.
• A high percentage of downtown businesses offer service industry jobs which generally have high turnover. This was the justification for permitting employees to only purchase passes in up to 6 month increments.
• The downtown employee permit is an 80% reduction in parking costs from the current purchase price of a monthly parking permit ($25 to $5 per month).
• A downtown employee who is also a permanent resident would have the option of purchasing either permit.
• Due to high employee turnover rates in many downtown businesses, Staff's preference is to require the employee to purchase passes rather than the individual businesses. We've received some feedback from businesses indicating that there were problems managing passes for their employees due to passes not being returned following a change of employment or due to employees sharing or losing passes. Requiring employees to purchase passes will provide greater control over how many passes are issued.
• The employee parking permit would not preclude a downtown business from reimbursing their employees for the cost of the permit, but does not mandate additional costs or management to downtown business owners.

The following three ordinances are a result of consultation among City Staff:

Ordinance 1: Downtown Employee Parking Permit - Cost $5/month

Employees of downtown businesses may purchase a permit for $5/month (with a six-month pre-purchase maximum) to park in a metered stall in the Carbondale downtown area with the same exclusions as in Title 18-12-12. Proof of employment by a downtown business would be required for eligibility. The permit would be nontransferable and valid for passenger vehicles only.

Ordinance 2: Carbondale Resident Parking Permit - Cost $25/calendar year

Residents of Carbondale may purchase a permit for $25/calendar year to park in a metered stall in the City with the same exclusions as in Title 18-12-12. Proof of residency would include a government-issued ID or a voter registration card listing a Carbondale address. The permit would be nontransferable and valid for passenger vehicles only.

Ordinance 3: Amend the Senior Citizen Parking Permit

Amends the Senior Citizen Parking Permit language in Title Eighteen Chapter Twelve Section 12 to restrict commercial vehicles to utilize a valid permit only when in use for the transportation of senior citizens.