President and Board of Trustees

123 Madison Street Village of Oak Park Oak Park, Illinois 60302 www.oak-park.us Meeting Minutes President and Board of Trustees Monday, February 27, 2017 7:00 PM Village Hall I. Call to Order Village President Abu-Taleb called the Meeting to order at 7:00 P.M. II. Roll Call Present: 4- Village President Abu-Taleb, Village Trustee Button Ott, Village Trustee Lueck, and Village Trustee Tucker Absent: 2- Village Trustee Brewer, and Village Trustee Barber III. Agenda Approval It was moved by Village Trustee Button Ott, seconded by Village Trustee Tucker, to approve the Agenda. A voice vote was taken and the motion was approved. IV. Public Comment Jason Alfonsi, representing Lake and Austin Brew Pub. Mr. Alfonsi expressed concern regarding available parking for his customers and discussed his business. Greg Sorg, representing Lake and Austin Brew Pub. Mr. Sorg, who is Mr. Alfonsi's business partner and owner of the building, distributed a diagram illustrating their parking needs. He made suggestions regarding expansion of current parking and noted that additional on-street parking would be helpful. V. Regular Agenda A. ID 17-424 Presentation of Parking Technology and Best Practices by Dixon Resourses Unlimited Village Manager Pavlicek commented that Trustees Brewer and Barber would be joining the meeting by phone shortly. She stated that this is the second meeting in regards to the holistic view of the parking system and will focus on technology and best practices. Director of Parking and Mobility Services Jill Velan introduced consultants Julie Dixon and Patrick Smith of Dixon Resources Unlimited. They have been reviewing the Village's technology and processes in order to develop an RFP that encompasses best practices for a new system. Ms. Dixon spoke about her firm and discussed development of a parking technology road map. She stated that with technology always changing, any modifications should be done in a phased approach and must focus on the end user experience. It also needs to be a sustainable solution for the Village. She stated that the Village is fortunate to have local public transit systems and these should be promoted any time there is outreach or Village of Oak Park Page 1 Printed on 3/13/2017 President and Board of Trustees Meeting Minutes February 27, 2017 messaging regarding parking. For example, if employees who park in the downtown corridors are encouraged to commute to work via public transit, it will have an impact on available parking in the downtown area. Key components to consider include communication with the public and enforcement through education and a comprehensive parking management system that includes permits, citations and vehicle stickers that is self sufficient and allows customers to access their own accounts online. She also discussed how LPR (license plate recognition) technology will increase staff efficiency. Ms. Dixon stressed the importance of integration; that any new technology introduced must be able to speak to all of the other components, regardless of who the vendor is. There should be centralized reporting that allow the various departments access to the same information. It should also be easy to use, from both the staff and customer sides. She stated that it is important to look at the different technologies available in order to know which is best for the Village. In terms of moving forward, Ms. Dixon suggested being mindful to look at finding the best value solution, not the lowest bid. There was a brief discussion regarding the use of Passport Parking. Village Trustee Lueck commented that while all of this information sounds positive, the public is more concerned that there are not enough parking spaces and the spaces are not where they want them to be. The historical approach to parking has been on a rule by rule basis and after 20 years of rules, they make no sense when they are all put together. That is what people want to fix and she does not see a connection between what is being discussed and what residents discuss regarding parking. Village Trustee Lueck also spoke about why people prefer not to park in the garages. There was a discussion regarding streamlining the parking and permit rules. Ms. Dixon noted that without the tools she discussed being put in place, it will not be possible to simplify the rules. As with technology, these changes need to be done in increments as well. Village Trustee Barber joined the meeting by phone (7:43 P.M.). Ms. Dixon discussed rate structures and license plate recognition control in the garages. She commented that the valet program is a positive component of the current structure. She discussed parking enforcement ambassadors and some of the equipment available with newer technology. The recommendations from their initial findings include simplifying permit regulations and the move towards digital permits; implementation of a new permit/citation management system; transitioning pay stations to Pay by Plate, upgrading enforcement hardware including LPR and provide ongoing hardware/software training to staff. Ms. Dixon also recommended to pilot the Pay by Plate configuration on pay stations and a trial of LPR to enforce the Pay by Plate pay stations. Ms. Dixon answered questions from the Board. Village Trustee Barber arrived at the meeting (8:13 P.M.). There was a discussion about higher rates for more desirable spaces, supply and demand and discounted permit rates. Village President Abu-Taleb closed by saying that he believes the Board is in agreement that the current parking system is not working and that if moving the community forward in terms of being more technologically advanced will solve the issue, this is the right direction. Village of Oak Park Page 2 Printed on 3/13/2017 President and Board of Trustees Meeting Minutes February 27, 2017 VI. Adjourn It was moved by Village Trustee Button Ott, seconded by Village Trustee Tucker, to adjourn. A voice vote was taken and the motion was approved. Meeting adjourned at 8:35 P.M., Monday, February 27, 2017. Respectfully Submitted, MaryAnn Schoenneman Deputy Village Clerk Village of Oak Park Page 3 Printed on 3/13/2017