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 FY20 Operating Budget for the Parking Districts is $28,262,161, an increase of $432,895 or 1.56 percent from the FY19 Approved Budget of $27,829,266. Personnel Costs comprise 19.32 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 80.68 percent of the FY20 budget.

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

County Priority Outcomes

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

• Easier Commutes
• Effective, Sustainable Government
• A Growing 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 FY19 estimates reflect funding based on the FY19 approved budget. The FY20 and FY21 figures are performance targets based on the FY20 approved budget and funding for comparable service levels in FY21.

Accomplishments

• Managed the Wheaton Redevelopment program in through supporting of construction throughout the slab waterproofing and slab concrete construction phases; contract administration and oversight; employee parking plan; parking and construction mitigation and closure activities including community outreach and communication.

• Initiated the design and procurement of LED light fixtures to improve garage lighting and promote energy efficiency. LED lights are environmentally friendly, operate on low voltage, and improve the safety of our facilities.

• Installation of new 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.

• Executed Memorandum of Agreement for on-street parking in the Pike and Rose Development. Successful installation of multi-space meters and parking signage in readiness for collection of parking fees and enforcement of parking regulations.

• Managed the relocation of the historic building to a lot in Bethesda to facilitate development of residential units and construction of the Purple Line.

• Completed the Bethesda Parking Demand Study to assess current and future public parking supply and demand conditions.

Initiatives

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

• Management of the Bethesda facility improvements including payment system upgrades, machine location plan, and sign replacements.

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

• 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 public parking spaces.

• Implement installation of new LED light fixtures in parking garages to improve lighting and energy efficiency.

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

• Improve customer service experience based on increased staffing hours in gated facilities.

• Improvements in the Residential Permit Parking program to offer both digital and paper-based options to improve service delivery to customers.

Innovations and Productivity Improvements

• Upgraded payment systems and introducing vehicle occupancy and counting systems in various high-demand parking garages in Bethesda and Silver Spring.
• Began Wheaton Core Employee Parking Management Initiative in preparation of County Departments and functions move to Downtown Wheaton.
• Started the development of the parking inventory database, website improvements, work order and customer services process improvements.
• Converted all gated facilities in Silver Spring and Bethesda to 24/7 garage management access.
• Converted single space metered garages in Silver Spring to new multi-space machines with pay-by-space payment option.

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...