Since the deal was announced to lease the Harrisburg public parking garage system, I’ve held off on chiming in so that I could watch the scene unfold from the sidelines.  This does not occur everyday, and I didn’t want to be the first into the fray. The noisy and growing Anti-Reed faction was quick out of the gates to denounce the whole idea as just another attempt by our mayor to send our city to financial ruin for personal gain and to cover past blunders.  This squawking is of no surprise.  Everyone, including the mayor, knows that there is a a vocal contingent in opposition of his every move.  I appreciate that they are presenting as a counterpoint to the Mayor’s rosy picture.  But there is merit in this proposal that should be considered. The city would abdicate virtually all control of the 11 parking garages and parking lots, as well as the parking meters.  In return, we as a city would receive $215 million in one lump sum, plus additional annual payments.  This is not pocket change.  Harrisburg is a city that has been burdened with financial troubles for many years.  That $215 million is real money that would immediately enter the city coffers and change the financial picture.  According to the mayor’s proposal, this would include major improvements to city services, such as the immediate hire of 15 additional police officers.  For a community that has been struggling with crime recently, additional cops on the beat could make a real difference. There are drawbacks to this.  Parking rates surely will rise, but this was bound to happen anyway.  There is troubling language in the contract that would allow Harrisburg Public Parking (HPP), the leasee, to place meters on residential streets.  Rates could be increased astronomically, and vaguely defined “compensation events” would require the city to pay HPP.  HPP representatives claim that they have no intention to double rates overnight or put meters up and down Green Street, but they could if they chose to.  These sections of the contract are unacceptable to the people of Harrisburg who use these streets daily. For these technical reasons, I am opposed to the deal as the language stands.  The residents of Harrisburg deserve contract language that preserves the residential feeling of our neighborhoods and the living economy of our city. The idea of leasing the parking facilities is a good one, given the current state of affairs.  We as a city need to consider this openly.  We should demand of elected officials not to scrap the deal, but to renegotiate parts of the contract.  We should put the promises of HPP into the legal, binding document. If the lease agreement kept meters off of residential streets, and only allowed for modest, realistic rate increases, I would be in favor of it.  Bankruptcy for the city is not an option, and this is the best idea proposed to get the city on its feet.  We need to consider this now. I’ll rest for the night, now that I’ve drawn a line in the sand.  I’m on stay-at-home vacation until Tuesday, and I need to celebrate.  In the next few days, I plan to post part 2, and perhaps 3, of my take on the Harrisburg parking deal.  I’m just getting started, and I think that there is much about this topic that needs to be discussed.

Watch, and then contact City Council.