AGENDA #4f
MEMORANDUM
TO: Mayor and Town Council
FROM: W. Calvin Horton, Town Manager
SUBJECT: Purchase of Electronic Parking Meters
DATE: June 25, 2001
This memorandum reviews the status of the Chapel Hill Parking Services parking meter replacement program.
The attached resolution would authorize the Town Manager to complete the replacement of the Town of Chapel Hill’s mechanical parking meters with electronic meters. Based on current year budget estimates, adequate funding is available within the On-Street Parking Fund for this purchase.
The Town of Chapel Hill has 177 parking meters used for on-street parking and 123 parking meters used in the off-street parking lots for a total of 300 meters. Parking Services began replacing the mechanical meters with electronic meters in 1995. Of the 177 parking meters used for on-street parking, 76 have been replaced with electronic meters. Four of the off-street parking meters have been replaced with electronic meters as well.
The conversion of the Town of Chapel Hill’s mechanical parking meters to electronic parking meters is recommended for the following reasons:
Electronic parking meters would enable parking services to audit the cash deposits of the meter money by providing a count of all money deposited into each meter. This accounting of deposits into each meter could then be compared to the bank deposit of the meter money.
The electronic meters can be programmed to accept tokens. This feature would enable the Town of Chapel Hill to sell tokens to the downtown merchants and participate in promotional events that would utilize parking tokens.
The electronic meters are more accurate in dispensing the correct amount of time. As the mechanical meter parts wear, the amount of time dispensed from a mechanical meter is not always accurate. This problem is alleviated with the use of electronic meters.
The mechanical meters have more than one coin slot to accommodate different coins. These meters get jammed when more than one coin or other items are inserted into the coin slots simultaneously. The electronic meters that are currently in use do not get jammed as frequently.
There are fewer moving parts in the electronic meters and less maintenance is required to keep the meters in good working order.
We will need to purchase 210 electronic meters to complete the conversion of the mechanical meters to electronic meters. The electronic meters cost $175.00 each for a total cost of $36,750.
Surplus revenue from the On-Street Parking Fund (revenues minus costs) is transferred to the General Fund each year at the end of the fiscal year. For the current year, we have estimated a transfer of about $340,000 to the General Fund. Based on these estimates for the On-Street Parking Fund, we believe adequate funds would be available to purchase the additional electronic meters, and still make the targeted budget transfer of about $340,000 to the General Fund at the end of the current fiscal year. A budget ordinance is not needed to affect this change.
Town Manager’s Recommendation: That the Council adopt the resolution authorizing the Manager to purchase 210 parking meters to complete the conversion of mechanical parking meters to electronic parking meters.
A RESOLUTION AUTHORIZING THE TOWN MANAGER TO PURCHASE 210 ELECTONIC PARKING METERS TO COMPLETE THE CONVERSION OF MECHANICAL PARKING METERS TO ELECTRONIC PARKING METERS (2001-06-25/R-5)
WHEREAS, the Chapel Hill Town Council has determined that there are significant benefits in converting existing mechanical parking meters to electronic meters; and
WHEREAS, we estimate adequate funding is available within the current year’s On-Street Parking Fund budget to purchase the electronic meters;
NOW, THEREFORE BE IT RESOVED by the Council of the Town of Chapel Hill that the Town Manager is authorized to purchase and install electronic parking meters in the Town of Chapel Hill.
This the 25th day of June, 2001.