Chicago City Wire

City of Wheaton City Council met Jan. 8.

Here are the minutes provided by the council:

I. Call to Order 

The Wheaton City Council Planning Session was called to order at 7:00 p.m. by Mayor Suess. The following  were: 

Physically Present: Mayor Suess 

Councilman Barbier 

Councilwoman Bray-Parker 

Councilman Brown 

Councilman Clousing 

Councilwoman Robbins 

Councilman Weller 

Absent: None 

City Staff Present: Michael G. Dzugan, City Manager 

John M. Duguay, Assistant City Manager  

Joseph Tebrugge, Director of Engineering 

Brandon Kowalke, Senior Management Analyst 

Halie Cardinal, Public Relations Coordinator 

II. Approval of Planning Session Minutes – December 11, 2023 

The City Council approved the December 11, 2023, City Council Planning Session Minutes. 

III. Parking Fee Changes – Daily Fees, Quarterly Permit Rates, and Parking Meters City Manager Dzugan stated that at the September 25, 2023, Planning Session, staff presented a financial  analysis of the City’s Parking Fund and provided recommendations for fee increases that would generate additional revenue to cover the fund’s expenses. He stated that should the City Council agree to the recommended fee increases, then this decision would lead to staff drafting an ordinance for their consideration. 

Senior Management Analyst Kowalke stated that most of the City’s parking fees have not increased in over 15 years, and City staff presented a financial analysis of the Parking Fund in September 2023 that illustrated that not enough revenue is generated to cover expenses. The Special Service Area #8 Levy was increased by $150,000 in December 2023 to support parking operations; and City staff have identified the actions and ordinance revisions necessary to adopt the proposed parking fee changes. 

Senior Management Analyst Kowalke stated that staff recommend introducing a Premium Daily Fee in  commuter parking areas that are closest to the City’s train stations, including College Avenue Parking Lot #10; daily fee parking spaces along Front Street; and metered 12-hour parking spaces on Liberty Drive. As part of the regulation changes, staff recommend eliminating the 2-hour parking meters along Front Street and converting the spaces to Premium Daily Fee primarily because staff found these spaces were being used on average less than one hour per day. Additionally, staff recommend eliminating the 12-hour parking meters along Liberty Drive and converting the spaces to Premium Daily Fee. 

Regarding the proposed fee increases for commuter parking, resident leased parking will have an approximately 80% increase, daily fee parking will have a 33% increase, and Premium Daily Fee parking will have a 100% increase. Regarding downtown parking, these spaces are primarily leased by employees and will have a 60% fee increase. 

Along Liberty Drive, there are 27 12-hour meters. Staff recommend transitioning these parking spaces to Premium Daily Fee, removing the meters, and adjusting the regulation hours to 6 a.m.-3 p.m. There are 13 4-hour meters also along Liberty Drive, and staff recommend keeping these meters. 

Senior Management Analyst Kowalke reviewed proposed changes to commuter parking adjacent to the downtown train station, which include Premium Daily Fee for Liberty Drive (Carlton to West) and Front Street (Western to Gary); a daily fee increase from $1.50 to $2 for Liberty Drive (West of Carlton) and Lot #9 (northmost aisle of parking lot); and, finally, an increase of $60 to $110 for the Quarterly Lease for Lot  #9. 

For commuter parking adjacent to the College Avenue train station, staff suggest a Premium Daily Fee for  Lot #10; a daily fee increase from $1.50 to $2 for Crescent Street (Chase to the western edge of Lot #6); and, finally, a Quarterly Lease increase of $60 to $110 for residents and $75 to $130 for non-residents in  Lots #6, #7, and #8. 

For Wheaton Place Garage and Willow Avenue Garage, staff recommend a Quarterly Lease increase of $75 to $120 for employees and $150 to $170 for residential. Quarterly Leases for Lots #3 & #5 (Liberty Drive) are suggested to have an increase from $60 to $100. Lot #4 is exempt from fee changes as the City sells leases for this area based on an agreement.  

In response to Council questions, Senior Management Analyst Kowalke stated that the expiration on the Lot #4 agreement is far into the future and that all the leases are sold for this lot. City Manager Dzugan  stated that the agreement was for employees of RJN. 

Senior Management Analyst Kowalke stated that City staff conducted a 5-year financial analysis of the  Parking Fund in 2023. The analysis found that the Parking Fund was $400,000 below the annual operating and renewal costs for the City’s parking assets. With the fee increases and addition of the Special Service  Area #8 Levy, the Parking Fund will be approximately 90% to the target balance. 

Should the City Council choose to move forward, the ordinance first reading will occur Jan. 16; the ordinance second reading will occur Feb. 5; throughout February and March further public communication  will commence; removing the parking meters, configuring payment technology, and establishing new signage will occur in March; and on April 1 the new parking fees will take effect. 

In response to a Council question, Assistant City Manager Duguay stated that the only capital improvement project within a lot is for Lot #9, which will involve resurfacing the eastern portion of this lot. 

In response to a Council question, Senior Management Analyst Kowalke stated that the current 4-hour spaces will remain as such for Carlton Avenue. He noted that the only change will be the fee increase.

Additionally, Assistant City Manager Duguay stated that City staff are aware that select areas, including Carlton Avenue and Bridge Street, need further evaluation to resolve issues related to employee parking. 

In response to Council questions, Senior Management Analyst Kowalke stated that at this time staff have  not considered converting Lots #7 and #8 to Premium Daily Fee parking because staff plan to evaluate the parking activity after the fee increases are underway. If staff find that leased spaces are underutilized, then additional changes may be recommended to the City Council. Additionally, he stated that staff are researching parking enforcement solutions to combat outstanding parking violations. 

Council members noted that the staff recommendations are a good starting point, especially regarding achieving the goal of revenue matching expenses. Council members suggested revisiting the Parking Fund on a more frequent basis. Council members suggested having a parking fee of $2 for Lots #7 and #8 could be a consideration for drivers only commuting a few days per week. 

In response to Council questions, Senior Management Analyst Kowalke stated that approximately 60-70%  of commuters utilize the Passport Parking app. He stated that the only payments the City directly processes are for the quarterly leases. 

In response to Council questions, Senior Management Analyst Kowalke stated that before COVID the City  had a waiting list for nearly every parking lot and parking garage. Today, approximately 95% of downtown parking leases are sold whereas for commuter parking only 50% are sold. Despite the downturn in leased  

parking space sales, the City has not increased the amount of daily fee parking spaces due to a decrease in the number of commuters. City Manager Dzugan stated that in the past the City benefited more from leases because leaseholders often did not use their spaces all throughout the work week. This parking behavior allowed the City to oversell leases by approximately 40% for certain lots, which increased revenue. 

In response to Council questions, Senior Management Analyst Kowalke stated that after implementation of the new fees, there will be 13 4-hour parking meters left on Liberty Drive. Since these meters generate revenue and are heavily utilized, staff recommend keeping these meters until additional significant changes are made to parking. 

In response to a Council question, Senior Management Analyst Kowalke stated that staff conducted a parking study alongside a contractor to collect data as to where and when parking pressures were highest. He stated that as a long-term research data opportunity, staff can leverage Automated License Plate Reader (ALPR) technology in the future. 

The City Council expressed support for moving forward with the proposed regulation and fee changes. 

IV. Public Comment 

Anita Selvaggio, 1804 E. Indiana St., expressed concern regarding the proposed regulation and fee changes. She stated that she utilizes the commuter parking lot on College Avenue every day, and expressed that commuters are bearing the burden of additional fees to compensate for the decrease in parking usage that has caused the City’s revenue to decrease. She expressed concern for the new parking prices and would have preferred additional public communication efforts announcing these proposed changes. 

V. City Council/Staff Comments 

There were no City Council or staff comments.

VI. Adjournment 

The meeting was adjourned at 7:38 p.m. 

https://www.wheaton.il.us/AgendaCenter/ViewFile/Minutes/_01082024-2455