On Sept. 16, the D.C. Council’s Committee on Public Works and Operations advanced Bill 26-16, which would change who can carry out some parking enforcement and where certain officers could issue tickets, according to Citizen Portal’s account of the committee action.
Rules for paid enforcement assignments
The bill would allow a business, a group of businesses, a licensed special-event organizer, a Business Improvement District, a D.C. Main Streets program or another entity designated by the mayor to make an agreement with the Department of Public Works (DPW). The agreement could provide for officers to patrol a designated area, enforce parking violations and manage curbside access, according to the bill text.
DPW could approve a detail only after assessing its staffing needs and determining that staffing was adequate. Assignments would draw only on parking enforcement officers working overtime who otherwise would not be on duty at that time. DPW would choose where to deploy officers, who would have to enforce regulations impartially rather than ticket at a paying organization’s direction, under the bill and WJLA’s reporting.
Funding and oversight questions
The bill allows the mayor to create a program, subject to funding, to cover part of participating entities’ reimbursement costs. The amount an organization would pay has not been established. WJLA reported that the Office of the Chief Financial Officer found sufficient funds in the city’s financial plan to implement the legislation, but DPW lacks budget authority for the additional overtime and would need further special purpose revenue certification and future budget authority. A city subsidy would also require additional local funding authority.
DPW raised concerns that participating organizations could influence enforcement and that allocating officers according to who can pay could create inequities between neighborhoods, WJLA reported, citing the committee report and DPW testimony. The report recommends pausing the details if they interfere with regular citywide enforcement or acceptable working conditions for officers.
WJLA reported that DPW has 260 parking enforcement officers and no publicly posted vacancies for the role. The agency told the outlet it is reviewing the proposal and its potential effect on operations.
A separate change for campus and special police
The committee version would also let campus and special police officers issue parking citations in limited locations: on property they police, in certain reserved public parking spaces connected to that property, and on some public roads bordered on both sides by property under their jurisdiction, WJLA reported. The committee narrowed the authority after MPD raised concerns about the training and oversight of campus and special police.
During consideration of the bill, councilmembers raised questions about fines, training standards and the possibility of duplicate citations, according to WJLA. The measure would still need mayoral review, a congressional review period and publication in the D.C. Register before taking effect, the bill text states.
