After years of citizen ire over alleged overzealous enforcement and an inability to appeal parking tickets, Atlanta has put out a request for proposals for a new operator to manage the city’s 2,500 paid parking spaces.
The city says the RFP will give preference to firms that guarantee $7 million a year in revenues for Atlanta’s general fund, up from $5.5 million under the current PARKAtlanta contract, and consider a revenue-sharing agreement beyond the guaranteed amount.
It also seeks a grace period for expired meters of three minutes on weekdays and five minutes on weekends and holidays; the ability to contest tickets in Atlanta Municipal Court; and penalties for the parking manager if a certain percentage of tickets are overturned.
The contract with PARKAtlanta, operated by Wisconsin-based Duncan Solutions, expires in September after seven years. The new contract would run for five years, with two one-year renewal options. RFP responses are due in late July.
The new contract, Mayor Kasim Reed said, would address “the need for improved customer service and an independent process to challenge tickets through the municipal court. The city’s next parking operator will use cutting-edge, up-to-the-minute technology to operate a parking system that meets everyone’s needs.”
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