Title
City Code Amendment Related to Commercial Ground Transportation Trip Fees, Parking Rate Cap, and Unattended Vehicle Civil Penalties
Description
This report requests that the Transportation, Infrastructure, and Innovation Subcommittee recommend City Council to amend the City Code to increase commercial ground transportation trip fees and parking-rate caps consistent with market and industry norms, establish a process for adjusting trip fees and parking-rate caps, clarify short-term parking rates, and increase civil penalties for unattended vehicles left along the curb of any terminal.
THIS ITEM IS FOR DISCUSSION AND POSSIBLE ACTION.
Report
Summary
Commercial ground transportation trip fees and annual increases
City Code requires that by Jan. 1, 2020, staff will conduct a study of peer airport commercial ground transportation (GT) trip fees and that GT stakeholders will participate in the selection of the consultant and this review. Beginning in the fall of 2018, staff and GT stakeholders started the process of scoping and studying peer airport trip fees. Through the summer of 2019, staff conducted monthly meetings with GT stakeholders, and in total, facilitated over 15 large and small group GT stakeholder meetings. The completed study reviewed peer airport GT revenue collection in comparison to Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport (PHX) revenue. PHX consistently collects less GT revenue compared to its peers. The proposal seeks to increase trip fees for permitted GT providers, establish drop-off trip fees for providers, and provide for predictable, administrative annual trip-fee rate increases.
Parking-rate caps, short-term rate clarification, and future amendment process
City Code sets rate caps that establish the maximum amounts that can be charged for public, employee, and special-event parking. These caps have not been modified in over 10 years. The proposal is to increase parking-rate caps in accordance with CPI growth since the last rate-cap increase in 2008. To prevent this problem from recurring in the future, the proposal also includes an automatic annual rate-cap increase of 3 percent or the annual CPI change, whichever is less. Finally, the proposal clarifies implementation of existing short-term parking rates but does not change the short-term rate.
Unattended vehicle civil penalties
City Code regulates vehicle parking at an airport and imposes a civil penalty for parking violations. The proposal is to amend City Code to regulate leaving a vehicle unattended in violation of posted signs along the curbside areas of a terminal. The civil penalty will be the maximum allowed by state law. In addition, the City Code provides that an unattended vehicle in violation of posted signs adjacent to or near a terminal is a threat to public health, safety, and welfare and constitutes a public nuisance. The City Code will also now provide a civil penalty for this public nuisance.
Financial Impact
The City Code proposal will have a positive financial impact.
Concurrence/Previous Council Action
The Phoenix Aviation Advisory Board recommended approval of this item on Sept. 19, 2019 by a 9-0 vote.
Public Outreach
Extensive stakeholder outreach was conducted during the peer-review of commercial ground transportation fees as well as stakeholder review of the proposed City Code amendment.
Location
Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport, 3400 E. Sky Harbor Blvd.
Council District: 8
Department
Responsible Department
This item is submitted by Assistant City Manager Deanna Jonovich and the Aviation Department.