What Could Revenue Do For You?
Pop quiz! What could your municipality do with additional revenue?
It’s a question that makes the mind wonder. From infrastructure and recreation to construction and even debt services, every municipality has a wish list of projects eagerly waiting funding. The big challenge for municipalities is balancing these dream projects against the actual budget.
In a previous article entitled Cashing in on Parking, we discussed parking is a resource that can be leveraged as a potential source of revenue. In fact, by using the correct enforcement solution, parking can quickly go from a headache to hero.
Typically, the parking objectives of a community involve striking a balance between providing convenient parking while also encouraging turnover. However, achieving success depends on more than just installing a parking meter. If a location does not proactively enforce time limits or confirm that a vehicle has been moved (via chalking), then parking can quickly devolve into a frustrating free-for-all resulting in double parking, blocked loading and bus zones, and increased congestion due to no visitor parking.
Obviously, communities actively work to avoid such issues and sometimes go so far as to erect new garages to alleviate the perceived problem. This choice in particular can be costly. In a recent report by parking structure firm Carl Walker, Inc., the median construction cost of a new parking structure has increased 3% over the previous year alone. The table below lists the median construction costs per individual space in parking structures in major US cities:
City |
Cost per Parking Spot |
City |
Cost per Parking Spot |
Atlanta |
$15,783 |
Minneapolis |
$19,661 |
Baltimore |
$16,739 |
Nashville |
$15,783 |
Boston |
$21,212 |
New York |
$23,648 |
Charlotte |
$14,575 |
Philadelphia |
$20,545 |
Chicago |
$21,212 |
Phoenix |
$16,000 |
Cleveland |
$17,930 |
Pittsburgh |
$18,453 |
Denver |
$16,829 |
Portland |
$17,875 |
Dallas |
$15,368 |
Richmond |
$15,639 |
Detroit |
$18,543 |
St. Louis |
$18,597 |
Indianapolis |
$16,703 |
San Diego |
$18,777 |
Kansas City |
$18,723 |
San Francisco |
$22,096 |
Los Angeles |
$19,355 |
Seattle |
$18,669 |
Miami |
$15,801 |
Washington, D.C. |
$17,533 |
|
|
National Average |
$18,038 |
These costs are, frankly, staggering. As a result, many municipalities become dependent on parking collections as a way to generate the necessary revenue to pay for construction. With fee-based parking comes the need for the optimal enforcement solution.
While there are many companies that offer parking systems, it’s imperative to understand that the policies of most providers will negatively impact your desired revenue goals via either staggering solution costs (always ask for multi-year pricing up front) or surreptitious per ticket fees (up to +20% of each ticket). In either case, a municipality with parking revenue of $100,000 would end up forfeiting over $20,000 to the provider. Think where that money could be applied. Such amounts can cripple your short-term revenue goals and delay your long-term expansion plans.
Fortunately, United Public Safety does not subscribe to these revenue-draining models. Our efficient ToCite parking solution eliminates ticket transcriptions, captures images of violations, provides electronic tire chalking, manages permits, uploads ticket data, checks for scofflaws and mobile payment transactions, and prints an on-the-spot weatherproof ticket all from a lightweight, ultra-rugged handheld device. Best of all, ToCite is available for a low monthly fee with absolutely no per ticket costs.
As many municipalities have discovered, our mobile solution provides enforcement teams with the full compliment of tools necessary to handle parking. And because you keep more of what you collect, you will soon be turning your wish lists into reality. Contact us today to sign up for a FREE informational webinar.
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