Smart meters could raise city revenue

Mathis Winkler

NEWPORT BEACH -- The city could add about $700,000 to its coffers by

more diligently fining motorists who exceed their parking time, and one

city councilman is suggesting that the money be used for upkeep of Balboa

Peninsula.

The $700,000 figure comes from the preliminary findings of InnovaPark

LLC, the company that installed 50 so-called smart meters on the

peninsula. A 90-day trial period ends this week and city officials expect

to present a full report on the findings in October.

The meters, which reset to zero time once a car leaves its parking

spot, and prevent people from continuously feeding the meter without

moving their car, are intended to keep beachgoers from occupying parking

spaces all day long without spending money at neighborhood businesses.

While residents, visitors and parking control officers have complained

about the new devices, data from the meters will give city officials a

clearer picture of parking enforcement in Newport Beach.

During the trial period, the smart meter company downloaded

information from the meters several times, said Rich Edmonston, the

city’s traffic engineer. By cross-checking the data against parking

citations, the company was able to assess the city’s enforcement of

parking regulations.

This year, the city is expected to take in about $2 million from

parking fines and more than $1.2 million from parking meters, officials

said.

Councilman Tod Ridgeway mentioned the findings at a meeting of the ad

hoc committee on Balboa Peninsula’s revitalization and brought up the

extra revenue from parking fines as a possible funding source to maintain

the newly designed streets.

“I think that parking revenue can be looked at as a source of money

for long-term maintenance,” said Ridgeway, adding that he saw it as an

appropriate way to fund neighborhood improvement projects like the

revitalization of Balboa Peninsula.

Construction on the $7.5-million project, which will make streets

around the pavilion more pedestrian-friendly, is set to begin within a

year.

City Manager Homer Bludau responded to Ridgeway’s suggestion by saying

the council will have to make a decision on toughening the parking

enforcement.

“We are certainly going to realign parking enforcement,” he said,

adding that hot spots such as the peninsula could be singled out for

increased patrols by enforcement officers.

But deciding between possible increased revenue and the public’s

wishes won’t be easy, said Edmonston, adding that the city constantly

receives letters from angry residents and visitors.

The biggest complaint is that tickets are issued minutes after the

parking time has run out, he said.

Councilwoman Jan Debay said she had seen those letters and the writers

“feel like we’re not very hospitable to tourist trade. They threaten not

to come back.”

But Debay said that using parking revenue for neighborhood improvement

projects seemed like a good idea.

If the city could come up with a way to increase the amount of parking

money it spends on improving neighborhoods, “I would look at that very

seriously,” she said.

She added that since beach visitors don’t spend much money in the

city, revenue from meters and parking fines would get them to contribute

to the maintenance of the beach and adjacent streets.

She also said she would advocate a “grace period” for expired parking

meters, such as an extra 10 minutes before being cited.

“I think we should have compassionate enforcement so that it’s not

cruel and it’s fair,” she said. “There should be a grace period rather

than jumping on it if time’s up.”