Parking Advisory Committee

Committee Members Staff to the Committee Chairperson Pamela Steele Christine Marques, Director of ECD Vice-Chair Carrie Carella Brian Gartner, ECD Staff Roger Beliveau, Parking Department Members Councilman Darnell Ford Councilwoman Leslie Spatola Jennifer Alexander Trevor Davis Dominick DeMartino PARKING ADVISORY COMMITTEE MIDDLETOWN CONNECTICUT REGULAR MEETING TUESDAY, AUGUST 13, 2024 – 5:00 PM MINUTES A Regular Meeting of the Parking Advisory Committee of the City of Middletown was held on Tuesday, August 13 th 2024 at 5:00 PM. This meeting was a hybrid meeting with in-person participation in Room #208 of the Municipal Building and remote access via WebEx. Members in attendance –Jennifer Alexander (arrived at 5:31 pm), Pamela Steele, Carrie Carella, Trevor Davis, Dominick DeMartino Staff in attendance – Christine Marques, Brian Gartner 1. Call to Order – Chairwoman Steele called the meeting to order at 5:06 pm. 2. Approval of Minutes – The committee moved to TABLE the minutes of the June 11 th regular meeting. 3. Public Session - None 4. New Business – Director Marques informs the committee that one of the evening enforcement personnel has left City service, and the position will be filled as soon as possible. 5. Old Business 1. Parking study – (Revision dated May 9th 2024) – Staff provided the committee with the latest revision of the parking study. Metro Square has been eliminated from the study as it’s a private parking lot. Discussion ensues about the future needs the proposed garage will need to fulfill. 2. Parking department costs – Standing agenda item. Staff previously provided income versus expenses for the previous fiscal year, and for the current fiscal year to date. The committee moved to TABLE this item until the September meeting. 3. Parking fee/permits proposal – Discussion ensues about the current parking rates, proposed rates, permit costs, hours of enforcement, credit card fees, updated handicap fines, the need for employees to park in off street lots, and a dedicated parking fund for improvements. Handicapped placards are no longer issued for life, and they must be renewed. Any fines assessed for displaying an old placard can be reversed by presenting a new placard to the Parking Department. Handicap fines which are set by State statute have increased from $150 to $250 per offense. The fee for the second offense is $500. Discussion also ensued about the committee's previous recommendation to raise the hourly parking rate from $1.00 to $1.75 an hour. The previous recommendation was returned to the committee to solicit alternate proposals. MOTION made by P. Steele, seconded by D. DeMartino to recommend increasing the parking rates .25 cents a year for a period of three years until an overall hourly rate of $1.75 is achieved. Discussion ensues. P. Steele WITHDREW her motion. If you require special accommodations for any meeting, please call the ADA Coordinator at (860) 638-4540, (voice) or (860) 638-4812 (TDD/TTY), or the Town Clerk’s Office at (860) 638-4910 at least ten (10) days prior to the scheduled meeting. Page 1 of 2  MOTION made by J. Alexander, seconded by T. Davis to request that the EDC Department drafts a revenue neutral proposal for the Parking Division and its operations. Motion fails with one in favor (J. Alexander) three against (D. DeMartino, P. Steele, and C. Carella) and one abstaining (T. Davis). 4. Repair of parking signs and other immediate needs – City staff is currently working with VHB to identify locations for “P” (parking) signs for the purposes of wayfinding. Once available the planned locations will be shared with the committee for their review. 5. Update on New Garage – No substantive update. 6. Adjournment - Motion to adjourn is made by Jennifer Alexander, seconded by Trevor Davis, passed unanimously. Page 2 of 2