Council Backs Parking Overhaul

Looking to incite residents to spend money downtown and address a budget shortfall in the process, Mill Valley is moving ahead with a three-pronged overhaul of its downtown parking enforcement.

The approach involves raising meter rates, expanding parking meter enforcement to include weekends and establishing a Resident Sticker Vehicle Program (RSVP), whereby 94941 residents can pay $30 for a sticker that allows a driver to park in a metered spot for two hours without feeding the meter.

The goal of the overhaul is to address a more than $150,000 shortfall in the city's parking enforcement budget, but also to entice residents to do less of their shopping at area malls and more downtown. The sticker program was proffered by the Business Advisory Board, which has been tasked with tackling a number of issues related to downtown business.

"You need the money and we need some innovation," Paula Reynolds, chairwoman of the advisory board, told the City Council at its meeting on June 21. "I'm hoping we can adopt a compromise that has something in it for everybody."

The changes were put forth as a package. Because strong sales of the stickers would likely result in less revenue from parking meter enforcement, the city hopes higher meter rates, and a previously approved hike in parking violation fines of up to $15, would help make up the difference.

The council last week approved the meter increase from 50 to 75 cents per hour, the first meter rate increase since 2005. It also agreed to move ahead with plans for full weekend enforcement and the implementation of the sticker program.

Along the way, the council discussed a variety of alternatives, including even higher meter rate hikes and adding meter enforcement to only one weekend day.

"I would love to not have parking meters on Sunday," said Councilwoman Shawn Marshall. "That for me is a holy grail."

 "I don't like weekend (enforcement), but it seems too complicated to do Saturday and not Sunday," Vice Mayor Ken Wachtel said.

In the end, the council supported the first reading of an ordinance that would extend meter operation to both Saturday and Sunday. The council expects to generate approximately $40,000 per year from each additional day. Council members will revisit the issue on July 19.

Most of the debate centered on the sticker program, which would be the first of its kind in Marin and is based on a successful program in seaside resort town Laguna Beach in Orange County. Wickham said Laguna Beach sells more than 10,000 permits annually and generates more than $1 million in revenue.

But the lack of similar programs elsewhere, and the fact that Laguna Beach's meters charge $2 per hour compared to Mill Valley's just-raised 75 cents per hour, troubled Marshall. She successfully lobbied the council to drop the sticker cost to $30 annually.

"Forty dollars is too much," Marshall said. "We're not Laguna Beach. I don't want us to be Laguna Beach."

The program, which carries a $10,000 start-up cost, will be administered by the Police Department, and will be given a nearly one-year pilot period. The city is hoping to get it up and running by Aug. 1.