Photo credit: Jeff Kramer
Motorists may soon have to pay to play in Milwaukee County parks along Lake Michigan and elsewhere. The adopted 2018 county budget calls for a whopping $1.7 million to be generated from paid parking. That provision flew under the radar during budget deliberations, in contrast to the widely publicized debate about County Executive Chris Abele’s proposed $30 increase in the vehicle registration fee (“wheel tax”), which the Milwaukee County Board ultimately rejected.
Parks Director John Dargle said that county administrators hope to enlist a private contractor to conduct a “turn-key” parking operation, including all start-up and enforcement costs. The county recently issued a “Request for Information” (RFI) from potential parking operation vendors, with a deadline of Wednesday, Nov. 27. The county would, thus, receive only a portion of parking fees collected. For example, parkers would need to pay a total of $17 million in parking fees in order for the county to collect a 10% cut so that they could net $1.7 million, as called for in the 2018 Milwaukee County Budget.
County administrators will soon appoint and convene a work group to develop recommendations for paid parking in Milwaukee County Parks. County Board Chairman Theo Lipscomb said he does not know whether he will be asked to appoint anyone for the work group. The program would try to make up for the Parks Department’s imminent loss of nearly $2 million in annual parking revenue from the structure beneath O’Donnell Park Downtown.
That operation will soon be transferred to the Milwaukee Art Museum—a plan approved by the board and Abele in 2016. There’s a long waiting list for annual parking by Downtown workers at O’Donnell, which also serves visitors to nearby museums, businesses and events held at Maier Festival Park (the Summerfest grounds). However, high demand for parking in most county parks—including along the lakefront—is largely seasonal, thus limiting potential revenue.
Focus on Lakefront, Beer Gardens & Parkways
County administrators have identified more than 3,400 potential spaces for paid parking. A preliminary list includes up to 1,635 spaces—both along Lincoln Memorial Drive and in lakefront locations—Bradford Beach, McKinley Marina, Veterans Park and Lake Park’s northernmost parking lot. Other possible sites for paid parking are in Estabrook and Hoyt parks (which host beer gardens), along the Kinnickinnic River, Menomonee, Story and Underwood parkways and Mitchell Boulevard. Fewer, additional or different locations could ultimately be recommended, Dargle said.
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He also says that Milwaukee County officials have been meeting with staff from the City of Milwaukee regarding the city’s parking operations. Paid parking could be collected through meters, license-plate recognition permits or other systems. The county is considering rates ranging from $1-$3.50 per hour, effective 10 to 12 hours a day, six days per week.
Dargle expressed hope that the work group might finish deliberations after two or three meetings, possibly by January, followed by a request for proposals to run a parking operation.
A budget amendment introduced by County Supervisors Marina Dimitrijevic, Michael Mayo and Sheldon Wasserman requires that the county board approve all paid-parking policies and contracts, following at least one public hearing. Dargle said that the issue being heard at a Parks, Energy and Environment Committee agenda might meet that requirement—albeit within a limited community forum.
The county board has previously removed paid parking from budgets recommended by both current County Executive Chris Abele and the former holder of that office, Scott Walker. Lipscomb said those revenue projections had been far lower, and thus easier to address during budgetary review. Dargle said he was not sure how public the work group’s process will be, including whether meetings will be videotaped, as are most county board meetings. Some advisory committees convened by Abele in recent years—including for Mitchell Park Domes planning—have not published public meeting notices or minutes.
Potential Impacts of Parking Fees
Dargle has polled vendors running concessions in parks, including Bartolotta Restaurant Group, SURG and the Gift of Wings Kite Store. He said those businesses tacitly support paid parking in parks, partly because it could increase customer turnover. Wasserman, whose district includes most of the lakefront north of Downtown, said he is “absolutely opposed to parking meters along Lincoln Memorial Drive,” where 617 potential fee-charging spaces have been identified. As he puts it, it “disadvantages those with low incomes, the elderly and many other people who rely on our parks for [their] health and leisure.” However, Wasserman remains open to fees in lots near Bradford Beach, McKinley Marina and within Lake and Veterans parks.
Dargle said that Park Friends and other community groups have not been asked for input about paid parking plans, but that friends and advocates would be represented within the work group.
Pastor Joseph Ellwanger, who heads the nonprofit Milwaukee Inner City Congregations Allied for Hope (MICAH), said he is “really disappointed” that Milwaukee County may impose parking fees in lakefront parks, “which should be open to everyone—especially those facing poverty and other challenges.” However, if fees are imposed, he would like to see them used specifically for services such as park improvements and expanded bus routes.
Barbara Wells, education coordinator for an adult literacy program in Milwaukee’s Amani neighborhood, said, “Milwaukee’s beach provides an inexpensive way for parents to spend time with their kids. A day at the lakefront should be a time to relax and unwind. Who wants the stress of wondering if you have enough money to pay for parking or if your meter has expired?”
Colleen Reilly, president of Lake Park Friends, wrote in an email: “The Milwaukee County Parks System was created to provide recreational space and natural areas for everyone, including those who could not afford private gardens and yards. While details have yet to be released, this pay-to-park program appears inconsistent with that parks vision. Lake Park Friends wants to ensure that such a program does not limit access to the parks from a socioeconomic perspective and does not create public safety hazards by causing people to park on city streets.” She added, “We are also concerned that, without a dedicated funding source for our parks, the Parks Department will be forced each year to take such desperate measures to generate revenue to maintain and operate the lands we have entrusted to them.”
Milwaukee resident Sandra Panosh McSweeney said, “Many park users cannot afford to attend a museum, a ball park or a theater. Parks are one of the very few places they can go with their family.” She suggested that county officials should seek alternate ways to more equitably fund the budget, “perhaps increasing the fees for vendors that use our park space for profit.” Meanwhile, Lenore Lee, also of Milwaukee, said paid parking “will make parks the playgrounds of the wealthy.” Kathleen Beaver of Shorewood, who volunteers in several county parks, is concerned about impacts parking fees might have on team sports, special events, use of picnic areas and beer gardens and on nearby streets. As she remarked, “It automatically begs the question: Who will be able to use our parks?”
The 2018 adopted budget increased fees for nearly all paid park amenities and rentals—for golf, aquatics, reserved picnic areas, marina slips and community center memberships. Thus, park visitors could end up paying for parking in addition to higher usage and rental fees, including at least $90 to reserve a picnic area. The 2018 budget also includes funding for a new “park ranger” to enforce payment of fees.
