Sunday: Tulsa may privatize parking meter ticketing
BY BRIAN BARBER Tulsa World Writer
Saturday, March 20, 2010
Privatizing the ticketing and maintenance of the city’s 1,133 parking meters not only would boost revenue but also help commercial businesses succeed in the revitalized downtown, Tulsa leaders said.
A formal request for proposals soon will be issued to possibly do just that, Economic Development Director Mike Bunney told the Tulsa World.
“While on-street parking is not my responsibility with the city, when businesses are being negatively affected because there’s no turnover at the parking meters, it does become an issue for me,” he said.
Bunney began looking into the matter and was surprised to discover that the city, due to past budget cuts, only has one employee dedicated to ticketing the parking meters.
The Working in Neighborhoods Department, which oversees the meter ticketing, has its hands full trying to keep up with more-important code enforcement issues, department director Dwain Midget said.
“Parking is not an imminent danger to anyone and so it is lower on the priority list,” he said.
Read the complete story in Sunday's World.
Associated Images:
A sign between Third and Fourth streets and Boston Avenue points to parking meters.CORY YOUNG/Tulsa World
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