Jackson Jambalaya

It only took 3 and 1/2 years. How much money was lost sorting out who would get the goodies over this whole term?

Oh, this is going to be GOOD! You think a 1 hour meter times out at 55 minutes now, just wait! Currently, more meters don't function than do, but if someone actually gets serious about creating revenue off of meters, it'll be an all-out, ticket-writing frenzy!

Just one more reason for people to complain about going downtown......

So Yarber wants to turn over enforcement and collection to a private party? How long will it be before we find out that Hudson & Asso. gave Tony a couple of those out-of-town fund raisers, replete with body painted strippers? Another dumbass idea from Mayor Dumbass.

Can't wait to see all the layers of hands taking their piece of the pie before the city gets anything, and can't help but wonder if this contract and performance will parallel the Seimens contract

Pray someone does diligence on this company lest our parking meters wind up like our water meters.

Wonder if there was a RFP for this, or did some pretty lady cozy up to Yarber?

Ten years is a long time.

Sigh.

Are there any mentor positions available? I could mentor the hell out of a parking meter!

... or did some pretty lady cozy up to Yarber?

Cozying up wouldn't have met the minimum. When it comes to Yarber I think that is common knowledge by now.

Who is Hudson and Associates. Better yet - who is the local minority contractor who is partnering with them and has ties to city hall....

I sure hope these folks do their research. Unfortunately, even reading an article about the Chicago meter fiasco might be too much to ask:

http://www.bettergov.org/news/chicagos-parking-meter-deal-a-lesson-in-worst-practices

This site is full of all these posters that ain't ever done shit for the community except bitch about what everyone is doing.

As soon as the third world fixes the parking meters, the third world residents will start stealing them.

When you think of making folks pay for parking and not making folks pay for the water they use - this is like living in a house with no insulation in the walls and bragging that your new refrigerator is energy efficient.

Ding Ding Ding - winner winner chicken dinner - for the post at 6:49!

Although written by a tree hugger, this article gives some specifics about why the Chicago deal is bad:

https://nextcity.org/daily/entry/infrastructure-projects-p3-contracts-chicago-parking

Let the skimming begin!

"Hudson and Associates, LLC is a minority owned subcontractor for Xerox that provides oversight for the daily operation, staffing and support of meter maintenance, meter collection, and citation processing for ParkLouie. With more than 20 years of program and project management experience in the transportation and infrastructure arena, Hudson and Associates, LLC provides operations and staffing support to government agencies and private sector companies ensuring adequate manpower and resources are provided to meet and/or exceed program budget and schedule projections."

Hudson has done parking in one city (St Louis) and was picked over the company that has done meters in New Orleans, Oxford MS, Austin TX, Denver, Laredo TX, Manhattan Beach, CA, Athens GA, and Oakland, CA among many others.

Hudson has overhead and IPS has no overhead cost for the city. This smells horrible.

Funny Hudson by 1 point and the people who rated Hudson high and IPS Parking low are no longer with the city and on the committee.

How long will it be before we are told the real story? What elected official is going to benefit from this?

I like the idea of better parking meters. Oxford has them as do other cities out of state. The meters in the City of Jackson are terrible and need to be upgraded as does the collection system. The meters limited to 1 hour are not good enough for a walk and a meeting.

My question is: Would it be better for the City to do this themselves or at least be more a part of the equation? This would allow more downtown parking. I believe many meters are bagged by people who keep a bag in their car. LOL.

If collections could be increased with the use of credit/debit cards, that would also benefit all. Let's just look at this from a better benefit to the City.

Minority contractor means "we're going to screw the city out of money". If you want to argue, please give examples of some that haven't. I'd be willing to bet there are more minority contractors that have fleeced this city than non minority, and/or ones that have worked prudently. I would love for facts to prove me wrong. Until that can be proven, do not call the posters on this website racist or negative.

@8:24, we cant do much because we aren't the correct demographic. Unless its all for free.

@12:07 The same company that provided the meters to Oxford MS saw and increase of over 400%. Oxford runs the meters and Jackson easily could do the same. It is my understanding that they offered a revenue share to pay off the meters and then at that point the City owns the meters. I was just listening to the council meeting and Hudson gets a higher percentage the longer the contract grows up to 40% of the revenue. The City accepted RFP's but interviewed only one company. I hope the council sees through this.

http://www.ipsgroupinc.com/resources/case-studies/

IPS lost by one point versus Hudson. Hudson has one reference, and 50% of our dollars will be gone to St Louis for 10 years per the mayor today answering councilman Tillman's concern of using local businesses.

In Chicago, the parking meter company bills the city for lost income, whenever streets are closed due to construction or even for parades. I hope our contact is smarter than theirs!

12:24; What debate universe are you from? How can one be compelled to disprove something that doesn't exist? You throw an allegation out there and ask others to provide evidence that it is not true. How about you proving that it IS true. That's actually the way things work.

Are they going to give keys to the new parking meters to all of the people who have keys to the old ones? If not there will be one big mad crowd gathering on the streets.

I have a RADICAL IDEA. I know this sounds crazy, but how about the City's insisting that the people hired to maintain the meters, and the people hired to supervise and facilitate the maintenance of the meters, be required to DO THEIR JOBS?

And if the people hired to maintain, and the people hired to supervise, are unable and/or unwilling to do their jobs, I propose they be fired, and replaced by those who can and will do what they're paid to do.

This wild-&-crazy system I'm proposing seems to have worked, at some point, in the distant past.

9:25, that is so racist. Why should people paid to do a job actually do that job? You are trying to mess up the whole mentor program. People are paid to watch other people do their job, not to do the work themselves.
Imagine something as bizarre as actually working.