Travis County Commissioners Court
Tuesday, August 9, 2011 (Agenda)
Item 30
>> noment 30 are no.
30 is to consider and take appropriate action regarding the replacement of chapter 11 of the Travis County code relating to the parking policy.
>> good afternoon.
>> afternoon.
>> judge, commission, this is sylvia crosby and data babman from the parking committee.
and what we wanted to do -- is bring back the parking policy.
you guys have been hearing a lot about it for a while, and the policy we have right now is seriously outdated.
it was approved in 1989, and a lot of things have changed since then, so we wanted to go ahead and start the discussions on the parking policy.
the policy that you have that we're seeking approval of today has in it updated version that includes being reorganized for easier reference.
we've updated department names and office titles, updated the current processes in regards to assignment and administration such as posting the late list on the internet, seeking approval for additional spaces and assigning all spaces in a consistent manner.
in addition to that this replacement policy also has in it defining a permanent parking committee and we'll talk about what that committee would do, as well as streamlining the big one, the specified positions and reserved spaces.
as far as the parking responsibilities, they would include assisting the parking administrator in day-to-day activities, doing -- making sure there's an annual audit of how the spaces have been assigned versus the policy, to research, monitor things assigned by the court, such as alternative transportation modules and opportunities, and recommending mostfication to the policy as needed, providing a better mechanism for employee complaints through peer review, and finally assessing the performance of the administrator as prescribed in the policy.
so the big issues are reserved spaces and so danielle has a bit to say.
we'll let him handle that part of it.
>> so we've -- this has probably been the part that we talked about the most in the committee in determining who is going to get reserved or priority parking.
in the survey that we sent out last yes, the employees identified priority space -- priority parking as the least fair way to assign parking, and since the original adoption of the parking rules back in 1989, there are only 147 spaces that were identified.
that has ballooned to 288 spaces, and it has not been consistently applied as to who gets those spaces.
so we went back and we looked at the organizational chart and we used that as our basis for defining the specified positions, and we have come to the conclusion that those positions are broken down into elected and appointed officials, county executives and courts by office in the downtown campus.
so if you were looking at an assigned facility like san antonio -- the san antonio parking garage, the following positions would have reserved spaces.
it would be the elected or appointed official, there would be two spaces for each elected official and the assistant director or equivalent.
county executives would get two spaces for each county executive, and the assistant director or equivalent.
in the courts, there would be three spaces for each judge, which would be the judge, the court reporter and bailiff or court operations officer.
in a zone parking facility like the 700 lavaca garage, these -- the positions would have reserved spaces.
those would be the elected appointed officials.
they'd all have one space each.
the county executive, one space for the county executive, and the courts, one space for each judge.
we would grandfather the reserved assignments that don't conform to this new policy, but as soon as a new person entered into that position, then that position would be part of the policy that we adopt.
there are several options that you-all have in front of you about how we are going to adopt this policy for the specified positions.
we have outlined them a through d, and we have -- so there are two things.
relative to zoned parking or to assigned parking.
so we would use zone specified positions throughout the county position.
we would do away completely with assigned parking.
or you could use assigned parking and use the specified positions that we've identified or you can use a combination of zoned and assigned thinks in the appropriate facilities or not designate anybody as having specified -- as being a specified position.
and that would be that.
and then we had some kind of one-offs, folks that fall in the organizational chart that didn't quite conform to the logic that we applied to it.
so you-all need to make a decision as to whether the domestic relations office would be a specified position, through child services, adult probation and intergovernmental relations.
>> and that summarizes what we've proposed.
our recommendation, of course, would be that the court would approve the policy as it's been presented, and we're open to comments and questions on the policies.
>> on the policy as it's been presented is -- would include option a, the approval of the use of zone specified positions throughout the county parking facility?
>> it would be c, because we said where the garage is zoned, use those groups, which is the one each, and if it's assigned, then you'd use that.
>> the two each and then the three each for judges?
>> exactly.
>> which is almost what our procedure is -- if our procedure had been followed?
>> correct.
>> [laughter] very similar to it, yes.
>> well, at 700 lavaca, it says courts, one space.
I don't know that we're going to have --
>>
>> [inaudible] didn't ask that compensation didn't be delayed a week.
>>
>> [inaudible].
>> that's what I told them, I told them I thought we'd run out of time this afternoon.
unless there is objection let's do that, okay?
I'm thinking of taking another -- it will take another 30 or 40 minutes to finish that presentation, right?
my staff didn't notify you?
>> we're prepared to be --
>> lunch?
>> we gave ms. Flemming a chance to choose abcd -- cdbg or compensation.
she chose cbdg.
I'm behind you, though.
we'll see you next week.
I think that will take 30, 40 minutes.
>> my question on 700 lavaca, there's just going to be one Commissioners court.
I don't know if there will be any other courts there.
so are you referring to county judge here?
>> we're referring -- if the court were to make any of the other parking -- garages other than 700 lavaca a zoned facility, then those specified positions that you all identify and adopt in the parking policy would then have only one space in that zoned facility.
>> we wanted to go ahead and look forward -- since we haven't arrived at a uniform assignment method for all county facilities, testing -- we're due to come back with the results of that in October.
so to make sure there was a mechanism to have assignment for both types, we included them in the policy, but dan is exactly correct.
any other facilities should go zone, then this provides a mechanism for -- mechanism for providing those spaces.
>> from a practical matter, for 700 lavaca because of the way it's designed, there doesn't appear to be -- there doesn't appear to be any benefit, any preference for what floor you're on, though.
so as far as preferred zone, I can't think of what the preferred zone would be since all of them -- no matter what floor you're on, you have to get in the elevator to go down to the tunnel level to get into the building.
so with regard to 700 lavaca, would it all just be a general zone or would there be specified zones as well?
>> no, there will be two zones.
you're correct, there will be no benefit.
we've heard there's a preference.
and so there would be a reserved zone, which then would include these one each that we talked about, and then there would be a general zone as well.
>> which -- I'm fine, because you literally don't get any benefit from being in the, quote, preferred zone.
>> [laughter]
>> remind me who's on the parking committee besides the two of you-all?
>> [laughter]
>> the committee actually has 13 people that are voting members, and then we have tilly olds from the county attorney office, well mydell from air quality and we have the acting parking administrator roger, who works for facilities.
>> so 13 folks plus those?
>> uh-huh.
>> how is that parking working at 700 lavaca?
any comments.
>> we've gotten comments on both sides, that's why I mentioned to Commissioner Gomez we'd come back with full results.
now that employees are moving over there, those employees who had assigned parking are getting used to the situation and have comments.
we also want to give them time to fully participate in a zoned parking before they make their final determination, but I can tell you most of them are not as excited not to have assigned parking.
some of them are fine with it.
the employees who were on the wait list and have been moved over there and who have parking are obviously more excited.
>> anecdotally I am one of those employees.
I love it.
>> I too am one of those employees.
I gave him an assigned space for zoned, and I have no problems with it at all.
I always park within the same --
>> yeah, I park in one of two spaces every day.
>> I could tell you the garage still has over 100 empty spaces at any given time when they're doing the audits, and they're doing them at 10:00 and 2:00 every day, so there's plenty of space there.
that's not an issue.
it's more people getting used to the garage and not knowing exactly where they're going.
>> and of course that also means that not everybody has moved over yet.
>> correct.
>> you know, so -- well, I would think, though, that the Commissioners court would want to have each member have a space, because sometimes if you're running late you have to still make it to court by 9:00, and you have to find a parking space.
once the building is full, I think that's going to be a little tougher, or you have a family emergency, you have to leave and come back and be on time.
I just think that presents a bit of a problem.
>> I have never had an issue where I have not been able to find a space.
I always have a space.
>> I always have a space.
it's not the same one every day, but I have not found it to be an issue at all.
yes, I have to give up the expectation that I'm going to park in exactly the same spot every day, but I'm literally parking in one of five spots over and over and over and over again.
>> even though I come and go at all times of the day.
>> you said at any given time there are over 100 spaces.
I mean, I don't have any problem with concept of zoned parking, but are there projections of how many open spaces there are going to be when we've got capacity of the building?
>> yes, we have been following that very closely.
we get a report from the property manager every month, and we still have 195 pilot parkers, people who are on the wait list in that garage that could be moved out of that garage as employees move over there.
so there's lots of flexibility assigning parking in that garage.
>> and I know that.
I expect that.
>> 195 what?
>> employees that were on the wait list, so they're parking in the 700 lavaca garage.
>> oh.
so we moved 195 employees off the wait list?
>> correct.
>> to there.
>> uh-huh.
>> the when the building is full, judge.
>> so that number can be adjusted.
we certainly could move some of those people over to the
>> [inaudible] garages, but --
>> so what are you hoping we adopt this and make it effective?
>> you could do that today.
>> [laughter]
>> that was our hope.
>> what's the second choice?
>> [laughter]
>> when you're ready.
we left -- I should have just mentioned that the parking committee originally brought to you a report with a lot of different things we could do such as opening spaces at 3:00 p.m.
and we left off those off the table for the core policy.
we want to bring those back individually so people have time to comment on them.
I think the only issue here is going to be some reserved spaces so I'm surprised no one is actually here to talk about those, but there were -- besides that, the feedback that they're just giving you --
>> what if we
>> [inaudible] our intention to take some action on this in two weeks.
>> okay.
>> and I'm skipping next week because we have a couple other items that could -- two weeks, I think, we'd be able to give it more of a time certain so if folk wanted to come and give comments, we'd be able to accommodate them.
>> certainly.
>> ms. Flemming?
>> thanks, judge.
>> are you one of the happy ones or unhappy ones?
>> I'm -- I'm undecided.
we'll see what happens.
I guess the point I wanted to make and I have made this point to the committee, and that is, those of us who are permanent work site is not this building or the building where the court will ultimately be.
we just want the committee to keep in mind that while one space may be assigned to sherry flemming, my whole department at some point uses that space, and so on the one hand zoned parking will address that because then those folks won't have to coordinate when my space is available, but I wanted the committee to be aware,!/s though, that those kinds of issues, whereby folks have been taking advantage of somebody else's space that was preserved, may play out in what ultimately the number of new spaces will be.
so as long as we maintain some flexibility for those of us who just like you have command performance down here every now and then so we need to be here on time as well, then I think we can make it work.
>> right.
thank you.
>> so do we retain some sort of space for media?
>> you mean as a reserved space or --
>> yeah.
no, do we still keep one space on the ground level for the press?
>> for the press, no.
>> we don't?
well, we did at one time, right?
>> I don't know.
>> the original policy, that's three press spaces, yes.
>> in the policy but not in the garage, I take it, because I know at one point -- I thought we had --
>> the 1989 had press spaces, yes.
>> okay.
what are we doing here?
we don't address that issue in the proposed policy?
>> no, they would not have reserved.
>> do we have any
>> [inaudible] lavaca for visitors?
>> yes, there are visitor spaces.
we've noticed that now when there's employees over there there's a practice to validate parking if they're there for a short amount of time.
so there is a mechanism where a stamp is given to each department and they would stamp the back of the receipt and there would not be charges for the garage.
>> why don't we do that.
why don't we take action in two weeks, that will give us a chance to look over it.
I glanced at it.
I need to read it more carefully, and looks like you-all did excellent work, though.
I appreciate your committee -- your committee has been in existence two years or longer?
>> slightly longer,.
>> [laughter]
>> yes, I know that this is probably an unattractive fact, but when you have done parking and you absolutely have to park and get in right away, you can always park on the roof.
there's always a space on the roof.
always, always, always, always, always.
so if you're cutting it close, so close that you can't, you know, do anything else but guarantee yourself a spot, there's always a spot on the roof.
yes, it's on the roof.
but you're highly likely to find a space before you hit there.
>> [laughter]
>> thank you all again.
>> thank you.
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