HomeMy WebLinkAboutCOUNCIL - AGENDA ITEM - 07/21/2015 - SECOND READING OF ORDINANCE NO. 076, 2015, APPROPRAgenda Item 5
Item # 5 Page 1
AGENDA ITEM SUMMARY July 21, 2015
City Council
STAFF
Mark Jackson, PDT Deputy Director
SUBJECT
Second Reading of Ordinance No. 076, 2015, Appropriating Unanticipated Revenue into Parking Fund for
Parking Enforcement Services at the Harmony Transfer Center.
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
This Ordinance, unanimously adopted on First Reading on July 7, 2015, appropriates funds received from the
Colorado Department of Transportation (CDOT) to provide daily parking enforcement at the Harmony Transfer
Center (Park and Ride). All costs for this parking enforcement are borne by CDOT. The City will provide
parking enforcement for CDOT’s new interregional bus service, “Bustang”, once a notice to proceed is
received from CDOT. No physical expansion of the Harmony Transfer Center Park and Ride is planned at this
time.
STAFF RECOMMENDATION
Staff recommends adoption of the Ordinance on Second Reading.
ATTACHMENTS
1. First Reading Agenda Item Summary, July 7, 2015 (PDF)
2. Ordinance No. 076, 2015 (PDF)
Agenda Item 11
Item # 11 Page 1
AGENDA ITEM SUMMARY July 7, 2015
City Council
STAFF
Mark Jackson, PDT Deputy Director
SUBJECT
Items Relating to Parking Enforcement at the Harmony Transfer Center.
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
A. Resolution 2015-060 Authorizing the Execution of an Intergovernmental Agreement Between the City and
the Colorado Department of Transportation to Provide Parking Enforcement at the Harmony Transfer
Center Park and Ride.
B. First Reading of Ordinance No. 076, 2015, Appropriating Unanticipated Revenue into Parking Fund for
Parking Enforcement Services at the Harmony Transfer Center.
The purpose of this item is for the City of Fort Collins to enter into a funding agreement with Colorado
Department of Transportation (CDOT) to provide daily parking enforcement at the Harmony Transfer Center
(Park and Ride). All costs for this parking enforcement are borne by CDOT. This agreement allows the City to
provide parking enforcement for CDOT’s new interregional bus service, “Bustang”, once a notice to proceed is
received from CDOT. No physical expansion of the Harmony Transfer Center Park and Ride is planned at this
time.
STAFF RECOMMENDATION
Staff recommends adoption of the Resolution and the Ordinance on First Reading.
BACKGROUND / DISCUSSION
CDOT seeks to contract with the City of Fort Collins to provide daily (seven days per week) parking
enforcement at the Harmony Transfer Center Park and Ride. All costs for this parking enforcement are borne
by CDOT. CDOT recently changed the Park and Ride to a daily use lot (24 hour or less) to ensure adequate
daily parking capacity for its new interregional bus service that begins on July 13, as well as other daily users
such as carpools and vanpools.
The Colorado Department of Transportation (CDOT) owns and operates the Harmony Transfer Center, located
just west of the I-25/Harmony Road interchange. The Harmony Transfer Center includes daily use parking for
250 users (24 hours or less), private shuttle pick up and drop off, and bus bays for Bustang interregional bus
service and Transfort local bus service. The City of Fort Collins maintains the Harmony Transfer Center
(cleaning, snow removal, trash, pavement maintenance) through a 1998 Intergovernmental Agreement (IGA)
with CDOT.
CDOT is launching a new interregional bus service (Bustang) on July 13, 2015. Bustang will provide express
weekday service from Northern Colorado to the downtown Denver Union Station. The Harmony Transfer
Center is the northern terminus of the Bustang route. In order to ensure adequate parking capacity for Bustang
riders and other daily users such as VanGo, CDOT changed the Harmony Transfer Center Park and Ride to a
daily use lot on June 1, 2015, eliminating long term parking. CDOT has regulatory authority over the Harmony
ATTACHMENT 1
Agenda Item 11
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Transfer Center, but not enforcement authority. In order to ensure adequate capacity for all day users, CDOT
has asked the City of Fort Collins to provide parking enforcement at the Park and Ride.
Parking Enforcement Proposal
Under terms of this agreement, the City of Fort Collins Parking Services Department will provide daily (seven
days per week) enforcement. Initial enforcement will be manual and require an additional parking service
officer (0.75 contract position) to be paid for by CDOT. CDOT and the City will monitor and subsequently
reassess enforcement strategies in fall 2015, when there is more information about scope and scale of
enforcement needs at the facility. Future Harmony Transfer Center Park and Ride enforcement may include
CDOT investment in automated license plate recognition technology (LPR) similar to that used currently by the
City in downtown enforcement areas.
Parking enforcement at the Harmony Transfer Center will be similar to that in downtown Fort Collins.
Two sections of the Traffic Code will be the primary focus of the enforcement efforts:
Code 1204(6)(a) Block face or public parking lot time restriction. Code 1204(6) provides accumulating fines
for overtime.
Code 1801(a)(II) Abandoned vehicle on public property after 48 hours.
Enforcement of both Sections runs concurrently.
Enforcement of public parking lot time restriction (1204)
The lot will be signed in a way similar to the downtown overtime block-face rule. The Park and Ride would
have an accumulating fine structure should the same vehicle subsequently violate the 24 hour rule.
The escalating fine process will reset if the vehicle goes six months without a violation.
Current Fine Structure (1204)
o First violation (warning) $0
o Second violation $10 (48 hours initiates the abandoned vehicle towing process)
o Third violation $25 (impacts repeat offenders)
o Fourth violation $50 (impacts repeat offenders)
Enforcement of 48 hour abandoned vehicle code (1801)
1st violation after 24 hours - warning with “oops” card informing of lot rules (same timing as initial parking
lot restriction violation).
2nd violation after 48 hours -citation (see above) and tow tag giving 48 hour notice to move or vehicle will
be towed.
Approximately 96 hours - vehicle towed at owner’s expense.
Note: per statute, the City cannot deviate from this process and time constraints.
Still a valuable deterrent when word gets out about active enforcement.
The proposed agreement has a built-in 90 day review period, but thereafter is annual and renewable by either
party.
Environmental Considerations
CDOT initially discussed expanding the Park and Ride footprint further north as depicted in the North I-25
Environmental Impact Statement, but has since put those plans on hold, instead opting to see if the parking
enforcement strategy provides adequate capacity for daily users. Efficient use of the Park and Ride will
encourage transit use, carpooling and vanpooling on I-25, benefiting the region from air quality and congestion
perspectives.
Agenda Item 11
Item # 11 Page 3
CITY FINANCIAL IMPACTS
All costs incurred by Parking Services for the enforcement of this Park and Ride will be the
responsibility of CDOT. City of Fort Collins Parking Services will invoice CDOT monthly for services
rendered. Upfront costs for equipment and vehicles will be reimbursed by CDOT as well. Initial cost estimates
include:
Phase 1: Manual enforcement initial phase
Ongoing (annual costs)
Phase 1 costs will include all personnel costs, equipment, vehicle expenses, all materials and supplies and any
payments made directly to vendors.
One-time costs (upfront) (billed to CDOT as they are incurred)
One-time costs include items such as a phone, badge, handheld/printer device for the officer, percentage of
vehicle purchase and custom reporting to track CDOT data.
Total Estimated Annual Costs: $57,000
Total Estimated One-time Costs: $18,000
TOTAL Phase 1 Implementation Costs $75,000
Phase 2: (Optional Fixed License Plate Recognition technology)
Note: CDOT will wait for initial implementation phase results and then decide if it wishes to
invest in LPR technology in the future.
Should CDOT decide to invest in Fixed License Plate Recognition (LPR) technology in the future, the City of
Fort Collins will assist in product selection to ensure compatibility with other City parking enforcement
technology. Costs of technology will be paid directly to vendors by CDOT. Estimated costs for direct CDOT
expenses to purchase the LPR technology would be approximately $64,000 with some ongoing data plans and
utility costs to be paid by CDOT. The City’s estimated annual costs would continue to be billed to CDOT.
CDOT will provide up to $100,000 per year via its FASTER grant funds. All costs are estimates at this point.
Notes
All costs to enforce parking at the Harmony Park and Ride are to be assumed by CDOT.
Revenues from 24 hour violation citations will be applied to enforcement costs.
Enforcement options will be reviewed at the end of the initial implementation period.
Enforcement program effectiveness and cost structure to be reviewed and updated annually (or at a time
period agreed to by both parties) by CDOT and the City
BOARD / COMMISSION RECOMMENDATION
Prior CDOT plans to physically expand the Harmony Transfer Center Park and Ride were discussed with the
Transportation Board and Land Conservation Stewardship Boards. Neither Board supported physical
expansion at this time; both Boards urged other, less impactful alternatives, including parking enforcement.
Agenda Item 11
Item # 11 Page 4
PUBLIC OUTREACH
Key stakeholders continue to be involved throughout the process. This includes local private shuttle carriers
(Super Shuttle and Green Ride) as well as the VanGo commuter van service. CDOT also launched a
comprehensive public outreach plan to alert riders to the Bustang service as well as the new daily parking
restrictions at the Harmony Transfer Center. The City’s Communications (CPIO) department is assisting with
links to CDOT information on fcgov.com and social media.
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ORDINANCE NO. 076, 2015
OF THE COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF FORT COLLINS
APPROPRIATING UNANTICIPATED REVENUE INTO PARKING FUND FOR PARKING
ENFORCEMENT SERVICES AT THE HARMONY TRANSFER CENTER
WHEREAS, the Colorado Department of Transportation (CDOT) owns and operates the
Harmony Transfer Center located west of the Interstate 25 and Harmony Road interchange; and
WHEREAS, the City maintains the Harmony Transfer Center via an intergovernmental
agreement with CDOT; and
WHEREAS, the Harmony Transfer Center encourages ride-sharing and transit use,
contributing to congestion relief and improved air quality in Fort Collins and the Northern
Colorado region; and
WHEREAS, on July 13, 2015, CDOT will begin regional bus transit service via Bustang,
a state-owned and operated bus system that connects Colorado cities along I-25 and I-70 to
downtown Denver; and
WHEREAS, the Harmony Transfer Center will serve as the northernmost hub for
Bustang; and
WHEREAS, CDOT changed the operation of the Harmony Transfer Center parking
facilities on June 1, 2015, to daily use to ensure adequate parking capacity for regional transit
riders as well as carpool and vanpool users; and
WHEREAS, the City Council has approved Resolution 2015-060, approving an
Intergovernmental Agreement pursuant to which the City will enforce parking laws at the
Harmony Transfer Center in exchange for an annual amount from CDOT not to exceed
$100,000; and
WHEREAS, the estimated cost of enforcement for the remainder of 2015 is $50,000; and
WHEREAS, all costs for these parking enforcement services will be borne by CDOT and
invoiced by the City; and
WHEREAS, Article V, Section 9, of the City Charter permits the City Council to make
supplemental appropriations by ordinance at any time during the fiscal year, provided that the
total amount of such supplemental appropriations, in combination with all previous
appropriations for that fiscal year, does not exceed the current estimate of actual and anticipated
revenues to be received during the fiscal year; and
WHEREAS, City staff has determined that the appropriation of the revenue as described
herein will not cause the total amount appropriated in the Parking Fund to exceed the current
estimate of actual and anticipated revenues to be received in that fund during any fiscal year;
and
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NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT ORDAINED BY THE COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF
FORT COLLINS that there is hereby appropriated for expenditure from unanticipated revenue in
the Parking Fund the sum of FIFTY THOUSAND DOLLARS ($50,000) for parking
enforcement services at the Harmony Transfer Center during 2015.
Introduced, considered favorably on first reading, and ordered published this 7th day of
July, A.D. 2015, and to be presented for final passage on the 21st day of July, A.D. 2015.
__________________________________
Mayor
ATTEST:
_______________________________
City Clerk
Passed and adopted on final reading on the 21st day of July, A.D. 2015.
__________________________________
Mayor
ATTEST:
_______________________________
City Clerk