Parking Advisory Board

Billings Parking Board Meeting Minutes February 9, 2022 Board Member Present in person: Brandon Scala, Mark Kary, Tom Greenwood, Kallie Parsons, Todd Morgan, Larry Mathews Ad Hoc Board Member Present : Mehmet Casey Board Members Absent: Sean Lynch Guest: City Staff Present: Tracy Scott, Jennifer Mockel, Kevin Iffland Call to Order: Brandon called the meeting to order @ 2:00 Minutes: The January 12, 2022, minutes were approved by Mark, seconded by Larry, the Board approved. Reports:  Monthly Reports (December 2021 & January 2022) Tracy highlighted that in 2022 there was an increase of 33 monthly garage spaces compared to December of 2021. When comparing the yearly hourly revenue, there was a considerable difference in revenue due to the COVID pandemic. There was a $2,000 loss in Empire Garage revenue due to equipment issues. Cash sales were down about $5,400 from December; however, January showed an increase in revenue. Empire Garage hourly revenue indicated an increase in January. The Park and Shops and Hotel Validations decreased due to the time of the year.  Operating Report The department operations are still looking good. Mark asked why the Operations and Maintenance is down; Tracy said it was a timing thing. Kevin stated that Working Capital should be at 3-6%, excluding the Reserve amount. Brandon is inquiring on what the “Not Paid” percentage of parking tickets is; Tracy will get that information for him.   Credit Card Analyze Report/PBP Report Comparing December and January revenue, the difference is due to the free parking in December. Brandon asked if there is a way for us to advertise to the citizens to use the PayByPhone app. Mehmet mentioned that he also noticed that people are not aware of the app. Tracy mentioned that we have PayByPhone signs, but they haven’t been installed due to the additional expense from the Street Department. Use of the app may decrease the number of issues compared to the use of coin. There was discussion about taking away coin all together and use just the app. Tom says he uses the coin so that if there is more time on the meter it can help someone else; use of the app does not allow another parker to use excess time from the previous parker. Maybe the new Public Information Officer can help promote the PayByPhone app. Tracy talked about the possibility of installing sensors that would clear the meter of all time once a car leaves the spot. The sensors would also allow parking patrons to use an app to see where there was available parking in the Downtown area. Downtown Alliance Report Mehmet stated that the 2nd annual Mug crawl occurred on Saturday, January 15th. It was a good turnout last year; this year they sold 80 tickets. Mehmet will be presenting at City Council next week for the Partnership Board. The BID is working on getting the Public Restroom Project presentation to City Council as well. There was some talk about the public restroom, the controls for it and safety aspect of it. There was talk about the plumbing issues with people shoving things in the toilet. Mehmet talked about all the other locations that they looked at, and the location by Park 3 was the best location. There is traffic and police presence in the alley. If it is successful, then they will add more around town. Mehmet stated that he believes that it will be installed in June/July. Public Comment (3 Minutes) Discussion Items:  Parking Garage Names There was talk between the Board members regarding the process of renaming the parking garages. Larry stated using street that the garages are located would work; Todd agreed. Tracy stated that it would help the police when dispatched to the garages. Tracy mentioned that we need to have the “P” on the garages; Mehmet agrees with that, due to it being universally symbol.   Remove Take Out Bags Tracy reported that some businesses have been calling and complaining about the Takeout Bags and would like them removed. She asked if the Board wants to approve to have them removed. There was talk about how some of the businesses will be upset. Tracy stated that the businesses can put in a Special Parking application for a 10-Min spot instead. Board approved to have bags removed.  Removing Toilets by P1 & P2 Tracy reported that the toilets have been removed from the Park 1 & Park 2 Garages due to them being vandalized and destroyed. They were not safe for anyone, including the BCS employees. Mehmet asked how often they were being cleaned; Tracy was unsure but thought it was once a week.  Empire Garage Gate Control System Tracy is presenting at the City Council on February 14th, for their approval to move forward with purchasing a new gate control system for the Empire Garage. The funding will be coming from funds from the One-Way Street conversion.  Late Fees Tracy stated that after the last Board meeting, the late fee structure that was suggested was too high after she ran it by Administration.  Discounts on Violations There was discussion on giving people a discount if they pay a ticket within 5 days of receiving the ticket. The Board likes the idea but wants Tracy to check with other locations and see if it is working for them. They would like Tracy to also see if it should be a percentage or a certain dollar amount. The Board would like to talk about it at next meeting. Agenda/Action Items Additional comments/discussion: Brandon asked what is happening with the Retail Space at Park 1 to Kevin. Kevin stated that they are still deciding if the spaces are going to be leased or sold as condos. Keven also said that CPC will be moving to the Stillwater Building soon. Mark asked if there are inflation issues in our Parking Department. He asked if Employment Expense is an issue. Kevin said not with the Parking Division. Tracy stated that we are still waiting on a new Enforcement vehicle. Kallie asked if there are issues with P1 gate control; Tracy said not to her knowledge. There was some discussion about the back-in parking and two-way conversion and why and when it is going to happen for the rest of the Downtown area. Agenda Items for Next Meeting Discount on violations. City approved master plan for parking, Tom wanted it for an engineering standpoint. Tom asked if he could have the report. Kevin will ask Debi Mehling for that document. Meeting Adjournment : Brandon adjourned at 3:07. Larry motioned and approved. Next meeting March 9, 2022 @ 2:00 pm