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REGULAR MEETING October 10, 2016 <br />before in South Bend. Third, the citation fines for on- street parking were too low to encourage <br />the type of behaviors we want to see and the turnover we would like to see. We also know that <br />the collection rates are too low as well. The Clerk's Office is correcting some of those things and <br />we will get a presentation from the Clerk in a few moments. <br />Currently with parking rates compared to similar sized cities in the area, South Bend is at the <br />bottom. Our reserved rate, which is one (1) person one (1) spot, is very inexpensive currently <br />which leads to a lot of unused space. The last time the parking rates were increased was 2008. <br />Previously the City had been on a five (5) year trend so certainly this is going to be the longest <br />period without an increase in forty (40) years. The parking study uncovered approximately $4.75 <br />million in capital needs in the parking garages. The calculated break -even point to keep up with <br />those needs is approximately $125 per parker per month. We are not intending to make the rate <br />that high and certainly not suggesting it. This just shows the City will continue to subsidize the <br />garages to a degree. <br />One (1) piece of legislation deals with the on- street citations which is this ordinance here. The <br />fine would increase from $10 to $20 and the late fee remains exactly the same at $10. If the <br />person does not pay in fourteen (14) days they are assessed the late fee. We are implementing <br />something brand new which is a warning ticket. We are aware that we want to be a hospitable <br />place to do business and it is common for people to not catch the sign or understand how parking <br />works. This ordinance establishes that the first ticket a person receives each year will be a <br />warning ticket and will not owe any money. It is important to note those warning tickets and <br />increase in fees only apply to time violations. All other violations and fees stay the same. We <br />will also introduce an annual late fee amnesty day which would apply to violations where there <br />would be one (1) day per year where the person would be forgiven of any late fees. This <br />encourages people to pay their overdue tickets. <br />Finally, the parking rate structure will change and some new rates will be decreased and some <br />rates will be increased. We will have a $10 increase in the average monthly subscription. There <br />is a $25 increase in the premium reserved spot which is that one (1) spot for one (1) person and <br />the idea is that we want to discourage people from purchasing those but if they want to they will <br />pay a premium for it. The more spots we have reserved on a one (1) to one (1) basis the less <br />turnover we have which is an important piece of this demand issue. <br />There will be a number of discounts, the increases tend to be the headlines but in several <br />scenarios people will see their fees go down. We will offer a part-time parker rate which is at a <br />$25 discount. That is for people parking twenty -five (25) hours a week or less. This is primarily <br />designed for part-time workers such as restaurant workers. Mr. Perri shared a story where a <br />server at a restaurant was disappointed that the parking rates were going up but after talking it <br />through they realized their rate will go down by about $15 a month. There will also be a <br />discounted rate for downtown residents. We are aware that the residential population continues <br />to grow and we want to encourage that. <br />Finally, the daily rate max will increase from $5 to $10 which is equivalent with what is over at <br />Eddy Street Commons. We are committed to keeping nights and weekends free which is very <br />important. The stakeholders were very adamant about keeping nights and weekends free and we <br />heard that. The special event rate will also remain at $5 and there will always be a free option for <br />all special events at the other two (2) garages. Mr. Perri invited City Clerk Fowler to explain the <br />new amnesty program. <br />City Clerk Kareemah Fowler, offices on the 4th Floor of the County -City Building, the amnesty <br />program will allow residents to pay past parking violations at the initial cost of the ticket. We <br />believe this is a win -win opportunity for the residents of South Bend and the City. It gives the <br />residents and business owners an opportunity to clean the slate while giving the Ordinance <br />Violations Bureau the opportunity to collect on violations outside of the statutory limits. It <br />should also increase ordinance violation revenue. <br />We currently write $1.1 million in total parking tickets in South Bend. Our collection rate is <br />currently twenty percent (20 %) but we plan for that to increase because we just recently received <br />access to the BMV records as of May 1St, 2016. <br />