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Home My WebLink AboutCLD-002-13 Clarftwn REPORT CLERK'S Meeting: GENERAL PURPOSE AND ADMINISTRATION COMMITTEE Date: January 21, 2013 Resolution#: r -6S By-law#: Report#: CLD-002-13 File#: Subject: COST/BENEFIT COMPARISON OF PARKING ENFORCEMENT IN DOWNTOWN CORE OF BOWMANVILLE RECOMMENDATIONS: It is respectfully recommended that the General Purpose and Administration Committee recommend to Council the following: 1. THAT Report CLD-002-13 be received for information; and 2. THAT the Bowmanville Business Centre be advised of Council's decision. f U. Submitted by: Reviewed by: � Pai�tr L:B rie Franklin Wu, `1lunicipal Clerk Chief Administrative Officer PLB/LDC/ama CORPORATION OF THE MUNICIPALITY OF CLARINGTON 40 TEMPERANCE STREET, BOWMANVILLE, ONTARIO L1C 3A6 T 905-623-3379 REPORT NO.: CLD-002-13 PAGE 2 1. BACKGROUND At the November 5, 2012 Council meeting, Council approved the following Resolution #GPA-517-12: THAT Staff be directed to prepare a cost benefit report on on-street parking meters in Bowmanville; and THAT this report include input from the Business Improvement Areas. Bowmanville has a longstanding history of parking meters and parking enforcement in the downtown area of Bowmanville. The enforcement of Traffic By-law 91-58 primarily falls to the Parking Enforcement Section of the Municipal Law Enforcement Division. For the purposes of this report, all figures quoted reflect a period from January 1, 2010 to December 31, 2012 and are taken from the Year End Parking Enforcement Reports for 2010, 2011 and 2012. 2. EXPENSES Parking Enforcement consists of two full-time Officers and one part-time Officer. The part-time Officer is responsible for enforcing the Traffic By-law in the downtown core of Bowmanville, in addition to other duties that may be assigned. The rate of pay for the part-time Parking Enforcement Officer is set at the starting salary for the full-time position for the current year. As such the hourly salary increased from $20.34 in 2010, to $21.00 in 2011 and $21.44 in 2012. The officer works a 24-hour week, for 52 weeks per year. Using this time frame, the total salary paid to a part-time Officer was $78,349.44. On-street parking in the downtown is controlled by 173 individual digital meters. These units allow a vehicle to park for a maximum of two hours with a rate of 50¢ per hour. They are programmed to provide a 15 minute overtime for the convenience of shoppers. There are also 262 spaces in the off-street lots. Maintenance and upgrading are an ongoing process for the Division. In the last three years maintenance has cost a total of $43,765.39. This includes general repair of faulty meters, replacement of batteries, clearing of coin jams in the meters and the purchase of replacement units. The total of all expenses incurred (purchases, maintenance and salary) in the operation of metered parking in the downtown of Bowmanville is $122,114.83 for the specified time (Charts 3 and 4 of Attachment 1). REPORT NO.: CLD-002-13 PAGE 3 3 REVENUE Revenue for parking enforcement comes in two main forms, fines and paid parking fees. The figures here are slightly skewed because the section was short staffed for much of 2010 and 2012 with ticket revenue down by approximately 1/3. 3.1 Meter Revenue The central lots play an integral role in the downtown parking strategy. When cash is collected and counted, it is not broken out between the on-street meters and the central meters in the off-street lots. Both sources have therefore been included in this Report to give a full reflection of downtown parking. The presence or lack of an Officer regularly patrolling the downtown area affects the public's compliance with the law. If there is no Officer present there is a sharp decrease in meter revenue. Many people will not pay for their parking because they see little or no chance of consequences for non-compliance. In 2010 the Parking Enforcement Division's part-time Officer left part way through the year and could not be immediately replaced. Again in 2012 the Division was short-handed for part of the year. Revenue for those years slipped. In 2011, with the Division back to full staff the revenues rebounded. Chart 5 illustrates the variations in revenue caused by the presence or lack of an Officer in the downtown core. Total meter revenue for all three years is $206,291.70. 3.2 Parking Fines In The Downtown Statistically 27% of all parking tickets issued by staff are for parking meter infractions in the downtown core of Bowmanville (Chart 1). During the period January 1, 2010 to December 31, 2012 staff issued a total of 4,122 tickets for meter violations in the downtown. This has resulted in $43,505.00 in fines (Chart 2). 3.3 Total Revenue The total of all Parking Enforcement revenue for the downtown of Bowmanville is $249,796.70. When this amount is applied against the total expenses of $122,114.83, there is a resulting surplus of $127,681.87 for the three years, or an average of $42,560.23 per year. REPORT NO.: CLD-002-13 PAGE 4 4 OTHER CONSIDERATIONS Staff have spoken to the Bowmanville Business Centre (BIA) to gauge their reaction to the possibility of removing parking meters in the downtown core. At their December 6, 2012 meeting they voted to continue to support the use of parking meters in the downtown as a way of ensuring the steady flow of traffic in the area. Historic precedent has shown that if the meters are removed or rendered inoperative, the resulting situation is that merchants, their staff and residents in the area will use the on-street areas as their own private parking spots and shoppers and visitors will not be able to stop and park in the area. 5 CONCURRENCE - Not applicable 6 CONCLUSION The parking meters in the downtown of Bowmanville encourage traffic flow and an ongoing turnover of vehicles parked in the area, benefitting the merchants in the area. This approach has been heartily supported by the Bowmanville Business Centre. They are on record as opposing attempts to remove the meters. As shown previously in this report, there is no negative impact on the Municipality. The operation garners an average surplus of$3,546.72 per month. 7 CONFORMITY WITH STRATEGIC PLAN — Not Applicable Staff Contact: Len Creamer, Manager, Municipal Law Enforcement Attachments: Attachment 1 - Charts reflecting the facts and figures as drawn from the annual year end reports for Parking Enforcement List of interested parties to be advised of Council's decision: • Historic Downtown Bowmanville Business Centre Attachment 1 to REPORT NO.: CLD-002-13 Chart 1 Percentage Officers Total tickets tickets issued of tickets issued down town issued downtown Part-time Officers 6,337 Full-time Officers 9,094 TOTAL 15,431 4,122 27% Chart 2 REVENUE 2010 2011 2012 Total Downtown Meter Revenue * $57,940.00 $89,600.50 $58,751.20 $206,291.70 Downtown Ticket fines ** $11,040.00 $16,020.00 $9,590.00 $36,650.00 Central lot fines *** $3,045.00 $2,820.00 $990.00 $6,855.00 TOTAL REVENUE $72,025.00 $108,440.50 $69,331.20 $249,796.70 * Includes on-street and Central Lot meters NOTE: Includes totals up to November 2012 only ***Fines for 2012 calculated at the early fine of$15 (Offence is for'Parked on Municipal Property without Consent'). ** 2012 ticket revenue is calculated to the early fine of $10 (Offence is for'Parked at Expired Meter'). Attachment 1 to REPORT NO.: CLD-002-13 Chart 3 EXPENSES Purchases Maintenance Total 2010 $11,398.73 $11,892.80 $23,291.53 2011 $6,373.53 $2,701.60 $9,075.13 2012 1 $9,230.66 $2,168.07 $11,398.73 $43,765.39 $ 43,765.39 Chart 4 SALARY Hourly wage Hours worked Total 2010 $20.34 1,248.00 $25,384.32 2011 $21.00 1,248.00 $26,208.00 2012 $21.44 1,248.00 $26,757.12 $78,349.44 $ 78,349.44 TOTAL OF ALL EXPENSES $ 122,114.83 Chart 5 Year Meter Revenue Number Of Officers 2010 $57,940.00 3 for 6 months 2 for 6 months 2011 $89,600.50 3 all year 2012 $69,331.20 3 for 9 months, 2 for 3 months