Hot Springs converts a third of its public parking inventory to paid parking

Rates set for 980 downtown spaces are projected to collect $1.5 million annually for the parking fund, according to Walker Consultants' revenue forecast.

Hot Springs, Ark., officials say they will begin converting about a third of the city's public parking inventory to paid parking after the Hot Springs Board of Directors adopted a new rate structure and enabling ordinance Tuesday.

Rates will be enforced Monday through Saturday from 8 a.m. to 8 p.p.m. for 980 downtown spaces, which are projected to collect $1.5 million annually for the parking fund, according to Walker Consultants' revenue forecast.

The money will debt finance new parking facilities, the city said.

The enabling ordinance incorporated most of the recommendations from the parking management plan Walker presented last year.

Based on its September 2022 supply and demand analysis, Walker recommended the city charge for premium on-street parking on Central Avenue. Its 148 free spaces will cost $2 per hour, with a two-hour time limit, under the rate structure the board adopted Tuesday.

They account for most of the 300 free on-street spaces classified as priority parking. The $2-per-hour, time-limited designation will also apply to on-street parking on Ouachita Avenue, from Central to Hazel Streets, parts of Spring and Reserve streets and Malvern Avenue from Bridge to Spring streets.

"I think a lot of them understand now those premium spots are meant for user turnover," Deputy City Manager Lance Spicer said of downtown businesses. "It's going to be a learning curve, but so far merchants and employers seem to be agreeable to a managed approach."

The rate structure adopted Tuesday included a discount for downtown employees. The 75% reduction applies to more than 600 secondary spaces outside the downtown core, including the 253 in the Exchange Street Parking Plaza and 65 in Hill Wheatley Plaza.

The ordinance discounted the $1-an-hour spaces 60% for employees. Mayor Pat McCabe, whose family owns a downtown boutique hotel and restaurant, recommended 75%, noting most downtown employees are low-wage workers who use free on-street parking.

"Even though (60%) is doable for many people, it adds up over the course of a week, over the course of a year, for the minimum wage or slightly above minimum wage employee," he said.

Spicer said the city will manage an online portal for businesses to register their employees for the discount program through IPS' Park Smarter software. The $304,143 contract the board awarded the San Diego company in March included access to its proprietary payment system.

Employers will have a login for entering and removing employee license plate numbers. Spicer said the city will review the information to confirm the numbers correspond to actual employees and not family members or friends of business owners.

To keep employees from using too many of the 650 secondary spaces, Spicer said, participation will be limited, noting more than 1,000 free, unregulated spaces are within walking distance of downtown.

McCabe said he leases spaces for his employees and won't participate in the discount program. He recused from votes that increased the discount rate and adopted the new rate structure.

"All the employees in downtown will benefit from this and be greatly appreciative of the efforts of the board," McCabe said.

People with disabilities will have free parking in the 64 Americans with Disabilities Act-reserved spaces downtown.

Spicer said the city will receive an installation schedule for the 25 solar-powered kiosks it bought from IPS after they're configured for the new rates. He said they should be in place by the end of the year.

"What we intend to do between now and then is to do an outreach and education program to make sure everyone understands the changes and how they're going to function," he said.

The $1,500 per month for a citation management system makes up most of the contract's $36,940 in annual recurring fees, which included monthly fees of $55 per kiosk and $203 for a mobile license plate reading system.

The city will be charged an additional $1.50 for every citation in excess of 3,000. The Police Department will be issued handheld ticket printers, and the Park Smarter app will notify users when they are about to exceed time limits and charge credit or debit cards they have entered as their form of payment.

According to a cost summary presented in March, IPS will charge the city 35 cents per transaction on the Park Smarter app.

One-time costs included $162,500 for 25 multispace kiosks, $34,500 for a vehicle counting system at the Exchange Street parking structure and $28,150 for a mobile license plate reading system.

The city's share of road bond proceeds voters authorized in 2016 indirectly paid for IPS's contract and Walker's $85,

The above is the detailed content of Hot Springs converts a third of its public parking inventory to paid parking. For more information, please follow other related articles on the PHP Chinese website!