1 STAFF REPORT
DATE: April 12, 2022
TO: Justin Hess, City Manager
FROM: Michael Albanese, Chief of Police
BY: Courtney Padgett, Police Administrator
John Pfrommer, Lieutenant – Traffic Bureau
VIA: Adam Cornils, Captain – Patrol Division
SUBJECT: Implementation of Parking Enforcement Hybrid Services Pilot Program
RECOMMENDATION
Note and file.
BACKGROUND
The Burbank Police Department operates a Parking Enforcement Unit that is a component within the Department’s Patrol Division. Parking Enforcement is responsible for maintaining traffic safety by enforcing parking laws, removing vehicles that are obstructing the roadway, and impounding abandoned vehicles. U nder the direction of a Police Captain and Police Lieutenant, the Parking Enforcement Unit consists of 11 positions: one Parking Control Supervisor and 10 Parking Control Officer s. All Parking Enforcement Unit positions are non-sworn and full-time.
DISCUSSION
The Parking Enforcement Unit is responsible for issuing parking citations to violators of the Burbank Municipal Code (BMC) and the California Vehicle Code (CVC). These types of violations include, but are not limited to, illegal parking in restricted areas, overtime parking in commercial areas and residential neighborhoods, 72-hour parking restrictions, and street sweeping violations. Over the past several years, t he Parking Enforcement Unit has experienced challenges in providing continuous effective services for the City.
Challenges for the program include difficulty maintaining a stable, well -trained, and experienced workforce. Recently, the Department has lost several newly hired Parking Control Officers prior to the end of their probationary period, yielding little return on the POLICE
DEPARTMENT
2 City’s significant investment in hiring and training of these personnel. These departures have been due to job opportunities in other jurisdictions with increased salaries.
Other cities within the region have faced similar challenges in their parking enforcement programs and have implemented partnerships with third- party service providers to supplement and enhance existing programs. The cities of Glendale, Pasadena, Alhambra, West Hollywood, Arcadia, and Inglewood have all partnered with professional service providers to assist their cities with parking enforcement needs.
To address the challenges and further assess the current parking enforcement program, the Department has identified the opportunity to conduct a parking enforcement pilot program working with a third-party professional service provider. The proposed parking enforcement pilot program will offer a hybrid service delivery model, utilizing a balanced combination of City staff and third-party resources to provide efficient and flexible parking enforcement services to meet the needs of our residents, businesses, and visitors to the City.
Pilot Program
The Department is planning a one-year hybrid service delivery pilot program. Under this model, t he City will maintain all current parking enforcement employees (there are currently six Parking Control Officers) . These employees will work in partnership with personnel from a professional parking enforcement service provider. Service provider personnel will assist with the provision of approximately 75% to 90% of parking enforcement duties, to include enforcement of BMC and CVC parking codes, violations for parking in restricted zones, time- restricted parking, street sweeping, 72- hour restrictions, residential and commercial parking, and disabled parking. S ervice provider personnel will conduct parking enforcement services throughout the City, utilizing the service provider’s vehicles, uniforms , and equipment . It is anticipated that service provider program coverage will support a flexible scheduling model, to allow for enforcement services during additional hours of the day and additional days of the week (including weekends). All personnel and vehicles used in the performance of parking enforcement services will be clearly identifiable as performing parking enforcement for the City of Burbank. Selection of a professional service provider will be made in accordance with the City’s established purchasing procedures.
With the assistance of parking enforcement conducted by a service provider, Department parking enforcement staff can reallocate time to focus primarily on responding promptly to calls for service, managing complex and sensitive parking issues, conducting vehicle impounds, and addressing community complaints and concerns. Department staff will also continue to conduct regular parking enforcement services in conjunction with service provider personnel. Police Department supervisory staff will work with the service provider to ensure the highest level of professional and efficient del ivery of parking 3 enforcement services throughout the duration of the pilot program. Regular evaluations of service delivery and performance will be conducted and communicated to the City Manager throughout the duration of the pilot program.
Service Delivery Benefits
The Department anticipates the following benefits in the delivery of parking enforcement services:
• Full Utilization of Authorized Positions – A service provider guarantees to provide the agreed upon number of staff each day, backfilling staff as needed due to illness, injury, separation, or retirement. This ensures continual operation at full authorized strength, reducing periods of insufficient staffing levels that result in the inability to effectively manage workload and respond to the needs of the community.
• Schedule Flexibility – Service provider personnel schedules are flexible and can be adjusted to additional hours of the day and days of the week (including weekends) as necessary based on operational needs to address evolving parking concerns within the city (such as parking violations occurring between 03:00 a.m. to 05:00 a.m. that cannot be addr essed within the program’s existing schedule structure).
• Efficiencies in Onboarding of New Staff – Current processes for on-boarding new personnel can take up to one year for recruitment, selection, processing, background investigation, and completion of required training. Service providers maintain a cadre of qualified, trained, and experienced personnel who can be on- boarded within weeks to replace departing staff.
• Advancements in Technology and Equipment – Although the City has done its best to stay up to date with technology and equipm ent advancements for parking enforcement services, upgrades necessary to maintain contemporary technology and equipment are advancing at a rapid pace. Professional service providers are more agile and adaptable to maintaining and implementing upgrades that will provide enhanced efficiencies and professionalism in service delivery. For example, many parking enforcement service providers are utilizing mobile license plate recognition systems (MLPR) that automatically read and provide notification of violations, streamlining the ability to conduct enforcement effectively and efficiently.
• Scalable Resources – Service providers offer scalable resource models that can be tailored to reduce or increase the staffing and services provided based on the needs of the City.
• Professional Expertise – Professional parking enforcement providers bring extensive experience and expertise in the profession of conducting parking enforcement services and maintain up-to-date knowledge of advancements within the field, innovative initiatives in other jurisdictions, and have acquired experience 4 in managing a broad range of enforcement scenarios in other jurisdictions . The community will benefit from additional personnel who are technically proficient and experienced in a professional field that requires specialized skills.
Potential Cost Savings
The pilot program will provide the opportunity for the Department to conduct a full assessment of parking enforcement operations and propose recommendations for improvements. Determination of s pecific potential cost savings will require further evaluation during and post implementation of the pilot program. Dependent on the success of the pilot program and consideration for continued use of provider services, the Department has identified the following areas for potential cost savings:
• Personnel – The Parking Enforcement Unit is currently assigned 10 Parking Control Officer and one Parking Control Supervisor positions. The total annual personnel costs for salaries and benefits for these positions is $822,640.75.
Future staffing needs and costs for continuation of service provider personnel will be determined upon further assessment of the current operation and pilot program.
Should the City decide to c ontinue working with a service provider after the completion of the pilot program, it is emphasized that the City will maintain all current parking enforcement employees.
• Vehicles – The Parking Enforcement Unit is assigned 12 Jeep Wranglers (2010 and 2011 models) utilized to conduct enforcement duties . The current annual costs of operation, maintenance, inflation, and overhead for this fleet is $62,126.40 per year. All these vehicles have surpassed their end-of-life use expectancy by more than five years. These vehicles are scheduled to be replaced; replacement has been delayed due to the pandemic and supply chain issues limiting vehicle inventory availability. The Department has p ut the replacement on hold pending outcome of this pilot program. The estimated cost for replacement of this vehicle fleet is approximately $480,000.
• Equipment and Supplies – The Department allocates part of its materials, supplies, and services budget to support operating costs for the Parking Enforcement Unit.
These costs include various supplies, uniforms, equipment, and equipment maintenance. Potential reductions in this area will be evaluated dependent on the future needs and operating costs for the program.
The pilot program will provide the Department the opportunity to evaluate alternative service delivery models and consider various strategies for providing parking enforcement services. It is noted that actual cost savings for the City cannot be determined until the pilot program is implemented and services and operational needs are further assessed.
It is also noted that cost savings will be offset to some extent by costs incurred for the continued provision of services through a professional servic e provider, as determined applicable.
5 FISCAL IMPACT
There is no fiscal impact to the City ’s General Fund for implementation of the parking enforcement pilot program. The pilot program will be fully funded utilizing salary savings from current and future vacant positions within the Police Department’s existing budget.
Dependent on the success of the pilot program and future direction of parking enforcement services, there are potential recurring costs savings in salaries and benefits, vehicles, and materials, services, and supplies.
CONCLUSION
A pilot program will provide the City the opportunity to assess various strategies for conducting parking enforcement and identify and address inefficiencies within the program. The pilot’s hybrid service delivery model will maintain all City parking enforcement personnel and supplement the existing program with well -trained, experienced, and professional parking enforcement service provider personnel that work with contemporary equipment and technology.
As part of the City’s goal to provide a high level of City services, the Police Department is implementing a one-year pilot program to conduct a thorough evaluation of the delivery of parking enforcement services and to identify the optimal service delivery model for the future. City staff will work collaboratively with the service provider to ensure the delivery of professional and high-quality parking enforcement services for the residents of our City.
ATTACHMENTS
None.