What’s new
The city’s department of economic and community development—in partnership with parking management company Interstate Parking—provided an update on the system's efficacy. Interstate Parking is the management firm tasked with creating the guidelines for the paid-parking program.
Since its implementation July 7, the paid-parking structure has generated a total of $154,748, with $80,210 of that amount being reinvested into the program after expenses, said Jeff Jewell, New Braunfels’ director of economic and community development.
Operating costs totaled around $75,000, including enforcement, maintenance and labor, as well as sales and use tax and credit card fees, which the city absorbs as part of the program, Jewell said.
The funds will go directly back into the enforcement of the paid-parking system, as well as other maintenance and development of the downtown area, according to the presentation.
Less than 1% of visitors in the paid-parking area received citations in the first two months of the program, according to the presentation.
If visitors fail to register their vehicle, on the first offense, drivers will receive a warning and pamphlet with information on how to register and pay for parking. On the second offense, a $100 fine will be issued, brought down to $65 if paid within 10 days, according to the city.
Tony Janowiec, president and CEO of Interstate Parking, said their objective to measure education over enforcement is to achieve less than 3% of all paid sessions receiving a fee citation.
”Your community is at less than 1%,” Janowiec said.
This is partially due to the city’s decision to focus on education over enforcement as the project is in its initial implementation stages—including social media campaigns, open house educational sessions and an informational website, Jewell said.
How we got here
Two hundred and sixty-two spaces, about a third of available on-street parking, have been converted to the paid-parking system, according to the department.
During operating hours, 10 a.m. to 10 p.m., drivers receive their first hour free after registering using posted signage, but will be prompted to pay $2 per hour, or $10 for an all-day stay, after the initial hour, according to the city.
The program was approved by council in May, as previously reported by Community Impact, officially switching from a free, two-hour-limit system to a pay-per-hour program in July.
What they’re saying
During public comment, over a dozen community members stood in opposition—and in favor of—the change in parking policy. Opponents, some of whom were retail business owners, said paid parking discourages visitors and potential shoppers from visiting downtown by adding a price tag to those already planning to spend money.
Chip Lyons, who owns Tavern on Castell, said he was concerned about employees who would have to pay to park near the restaurant where they work, adding they may not even make $100 a day, so paying the $10 all-day charge would cut into their take-home pay.
“We don’t really like the idea of them having to pay $10 to come to work,” Lyons said. “If they made $200, $300 a day, that would be a big deal to have a place to park.”
Meanwhile, those in favor of the policy said it allows for higher turnover in parking spaces—meaning more unique visitors per parking spot—and subsequently adding more traffic and business.
Thor Thornhill, owner of HMT Engineering and Consulting, said he has offices within the paid-parking area, and spots previously taken by all-day visitors from other businesses were now open to his clientele.
“We have some on-street parking, that was two-hour parking, that the same vehicles would park there every single day. And we’d look at them, and they weren’t our staff,” Thornhill said. “Now those parking spots that are right in front of our front door are open every day.”
What’s next
The economic and community development department anticipated the first iteration of the paid-parking program would not be the end-all-be-all, allowing for public input and data collection to inform the department and Interstate Parking could make it better—including the addition of preregistration. This came after residents who were called for jury duty before operating hours would be forced to leave the courthouse to begin their parking session, and allows jurors and others to preregister their session to begin their first free hour once 10 a.m. rolled around, according to the presentation.
Other changes could soon be on the way as well, such as more Americans with Disabilities Act-compliant spaces and drop-off zones, expanding current parking inventory, and additional improvements to educational resources for residents, Jewell said.
“We're in the stage of data collection, monitoring analysis, projecting future demand and trying to decide where new supply needs to be added, evaluating any future program changes,” Jewell said.
The department hopes to provide another update to City Council members in February, Jewell said.
