Mission Statement

The mission of Parking District Services is to:

• Support the role of public parking in commercial areas throughout the County, as parking management is an important tool for achieving public objectives of economic development and transportation management;
• Support the comprehensive development of the Silver Spring, Bethesda, and Wheaton central business districts and promote their economic growth and stability by supplying a sufficient number of parking spaces to accommodate that segment of the public demand which is neither provided for by development nor served by alternative travel modes;
• Promote and complement a total transportation system through the careful balance of rates and parking supply to encourage the use of the most efficient and economical transportation modes available; and
• Develop and implement parking management strategies designed to maximize the usage of the available parking supply in order to enhance the economic development of specific central business districts.

Budget Overview

The total approved FY19 Operating Budget for the Parking Districts is $27,829,266, an increase of $51,360 or 0.18 percent from the FY18 Approved Budget of $27,777,906. Personnel Costs comprise 18.87 percent of the budget for 53 full-time position(s) and no part-time position(s), and a total of 48.53 FTEs. Total FTEs may include seasonal or temporary positions and may also reflect workforce charged to or from other departments or funds. Operating Expenses account for the remaining 81.13 percent of the FY19 budget.

In addition, this department's Capital Improvements Program (CIP) requires Current Revenue funding.

Linkage to County Result Areas

While this program area supports all eight of the County Result Areas, the following are emphasized:

• An Effective and Efficient Transportation Network
• A Responsive, Accountable County Government
• Strong and Vibrant Economy

Department Performance Measures

Performance measures for this department are included below (where applicable), with multi-program measures displayed at the front of this section and program-specific measures shown with the relevant program. The FY18 estimates reflect funding based on the FY18 approved budget. The FY19 and FY20 figures are performance targets based on the FY19 approved budget and funding for comparable service levels in FY20.

Accomplishments

• Managed the Wheaton Redevelopment project to include mitigation and closure activities including community outreach and communication.
  

• Implemented a demand pricing model in the Bethesda PLD to redistribute parking demand to underutilized facilities and increasing space availability in high demand facilities. The objective is to decrease traffic circulation and increase customer satisfaction.

• Converted single-space meters to multi-space meters in Parking Lot Districts that provide customers multiple and convenient payment options (coins, bills, credit card, and pay-by-cell) and a customer friendly parking experience.

• Launched a Garage Advertisement Program at four public parking garages. Advertising space is available at the Woodmont Corner and Bethesda/Elm Garages in Bethesda and the Cameron St. and Town Square Garages in Silver Spring.

• Installed EV charging stations in parking garages located in Bethesda, Silver Spring, and Wheaton. Additional facilities pre-wired for installation of EV charging stations.
  

• Enhanced remote monitoring for all PLDs to monitor live and recorded footage for risk and safety assessments, contractor operations, internal revenue control, and audits.

• Enhanced pay-by-cell payment options by introducing a new pay-by-cell vendor, ParkMobile in addition to the existing pay-by-cell vendor MobileNOW. Negotiated multiple payment methods including a pay-as-you-go option and a mobile wallet option, and reduced service fees.

• Upgraded pay-on-foot systems in three parking garages to enhance data security, provide data redundancy, and improve level of service.

• Consolidated the Montgomery Hills PLD into the Silver Spring PLD to improve parking operations and management.
• Launched a new responsive design for the Division of Parking Management homepage. The website enhances the visitor's experience by enabling content to be viewed effectively using multiple devices such as mobile, laptop, or desktop computer.

Initiatives

• The new Wheaton Reedie/Grandview Ave. Garage will feature new LED lighting fixtures (standard for our garages), Electric Vehicle (EV) charging stations, low emission vehicles preferred parking spaces, and increased security measures through additional cameras and panic buttons. The Wheaton Office building will be the first LEED Platinum certified government facility in Maryland featuring a geothermal system and solar panels in the roof areas.

• Joint development partnership with Fairfield Residential Company, LLC to redevelop Fenton Village Public Parking (Lot 3) into a vibrant mixed-use development at Studio Plaza with approximately 152 public parking spaces.

• Implementing garage automation systems to effectively monitor electrical and mechanical systems to enhance service delivery.

• Upgrade and consolidate control and monitoring systems for electrical, elevators, communications, and ventilation systems.

• Expand the EV Charging Station program to additional facilities.

  
  

• Complete the Silver Spring Parking Demand Study.

• Conduct the biennial parking customer service survey.

• Conversion of parking cashier system to pay-on-foot system in all Parking Lot Districts (PLDs).

Program Descriptions

  Administration

This program supports the Parking Services Program objectives through the management of Information Technology and customer service to optimize organizational effectiveness and the delivery of services to the public. Additionally, the program strategically plans for all components of the redevelopment of Parking Lot District (PLD) real property to promote the...

  Financial Management

The Financial Management Program has overall responsibility for the recordation, reconciliation, and audit of all parking district revenue. In addition, this program has primary responsibility for the development and execution of the Division Budget and Capital Improvements Program in coordination with other programs and the associated Six-Year Fiscal Cash Flows...

  Engineering and Capital Management

The Capital Projects Team provides engineering and project management for the design and construction of new parking facilities, including mixed-use projects. The program also includes renovating and improving existing parking facilities to ensure the preservation and integrity of the parking system and its continued service to the public. This program...

  Parking Operations

This unit has overall responsibility for the collection and processing of all parking revenue, including revenue from individual meters, automated pay stations, cashiered facilities, parking permits, and parking fines. Additionally, it provides support to the Mass Transit Fund in the processing of bus revenue for deposit. The program is also...