Wednesday, April 24, 2024

Jackson to Get New Parking Meters - Again

 The city of Jackson issued the following statement. 

The City of Jackson is excited to announce its partnership with SP Plus Corporation to install new parking meter kiosks throughout the downtown area. The installation of these state-of-the-art kiosks will increase parking space availability and allow for a more convenient and accessible process to users.


“We are excited to announce the upgrade of our parking meter system in downtown Jackson,” said Mayor Chokwe Antar Lumumba. “This modernized system will result in greater parking space availability and convenience for residents and visitors to Jackson. We look forward to this rollout and informing residents of the details.” 


Users will now have the ability to pay for parking on touch screens or through their cellphones by using text-to-pay or the parking.com app. In addition to educating the public on how to use the kiosks, SP+ will also assist the city with enforcement by providing vehicles with License Plate Recognition technology to maximize parking availability. 


Significantly, the new system promises to bring in over $2 million a year in revenue to the cash-strapped city.  


"We're extremely excited to support the City of Jackson and bring this project to life,” said Jason Spoeth, Senior Vice President, Operations, SP+ Corporation. “We see this as part of a bigger picture - the continued revitalization of downtown Jackson.” 


Officials said Monday the installation of the kiosks will begin later this week. 


For more information, please contact Deputy Director of the City of Jackson's Office of Economic Development, Yika Hoover at 601-960-1611 or thoover@jacksonms.gov


Kingfish note: Hmmm..... all of this sounds very familiar, as in back in 2020 familiar.  


52 comments:

Anonymous said...

Tag recognition was well hidden in the release.

Where ya gonna get 2 million dollars in parkers?

Having meters u simply put money into seems way toooo simple.

Anonymous said...

So in a span of four years, the promised revenue return has gone from $200,000 to $2,000,000, a 900% (?) increase!!!!

Did the old meters ever hit the promised revenue?

How in the world can these new meters promise such an increase in revenue?

Anonymous said...

I am not opposed to parking meters, traveled to many large cities and used them with ease.

But, I do wonder if Mississippi cities offer enough to justify the expense to consumers.
It probably is less prohibitive for young folks in college towns, but lots of older people avoid parking (read: shopping) in downtown Starkville since they were installed.

Anonymous said...

April 24, 2024 at 8:56 AM
Lol. Every parking meter I've seen has either been broken or full of change.

Anonymous said...

Am I getting old? So a couple of years ago the city refused any kind of joint venture to put in parking meters. The city would maintain and collect. 4 years later 60 % of the meters are broken don’t work. Now they have a great idea to bring in someone to manage meters like it the smartest thing the mayor has done. And Jackson keeps voting for him. It’s truly comical.

Anonymous said...

Love something like Jackson loves getting new meters

By Any Means Necessary said...

More contract steering? How much is Chowke's cut? He does get a cut, right? Chowke, am I right?

The JFD is now going to be charging for emergency responses. Chowke, your radical city is continuing to implode. Right?

Anonymous said...

Hope it’s not like the parking meters in Oxford- very difficult to read the screen or know how to operate them.

Anonymous said...

When will people stop parking in the median on capitol street? I guess they never get a ticket.

Anonymous said...



People should be paid to come to Jackson and park

Anonymous said...

Good ol’ Jackson. You can pay more, but you can’t get less.

Anonymous said...

Someone 'bout to GET PAID!

Anonymous said...

AT the BBB Nashville are some reports that citizens aren't happy!

https://www.bbb.org/us/tn/nashville/profile/parking-facilities/sp-plus-corporation-0573-10322/customer-reviews

Maybe things will go better in Jackson.

Anonymous said...

April 24, 2024 at 9:33 AM
When Jackson starts ticketing them. So never.

Anonymous said...

Wow. Now hiring at 14.00 an hour! Only the best!

https://www.ziprecruiter.com/c/SP-Plus-Corporation/Job/Enforcement-Officer/-in-Jackson,MS?jid=88147aecc6dbaff5

Anonymous said...

From previous reporting, I understand the city plans to implement ~700 meters and "begin" by charging $1/hour.

Generating $2 million /year would require those meters to average paid usage of 8 hours/day (if weekends count) and 11 hours/day if only weeks day (and holidays) count. That mat doesn't account for any subscription/fee-for-service/transaction fee being siphoned off the top.

I'm skeptical any of these meters will be operational in 18 months, but there's no way the city will generate $2 million annually--even if that number accounts for some made-up parking ticket revenue projection.


Wow said...

Does anyone know the contractual structure of this agreement? Can you look into this, KingFish?

I wonder if the City sold all of their rights to the meters to this company for the next 10,20,30,40,50 years and then in return they receive a percentage of the collections.

Would be interesting to see how this contract is structured and what unilateral decision the mayor made on behalf of the city.

Anonymous said...

It would appear Jackson has contracted with yet another unscrupulous vendor. I wonder if the contract would require city council approval? This will ensure no one ever goes back downtown. I will pay an Uber to drop me off/pick-up from the Federal building when needed.

Anonymous said...

@9:53 If we learned anything from the garbage fiasco, it's that Chokwe doesn't know what due diligence is or how to do it. That or he knows all he has to do is say the City will get $2 million from these meters and most of his supporters will just take his word for it, no questions asked. So why bother with facts or due diligence?

Zero chance he releases the "actual" revenue these bring in before the 2025 election, because the math isn't mathing. He said $2 million of revenue, but what about associated expenses? Or is that supposed to be the net amount the City will pocket? Seems really high considering SP+ has to be paid something for running the meters too... who is paying for the meters themselves and are we on the hook to pay SP+ a minimum amount should revenues not meet projections?

Anonymous said...

High-tech meters that will pay for themselves sounds like a good deal, until the new meters don't work. Shades of Siemens?

Anonymous said...

How is a parking meter going to make more spaces to park?

Anonymous said...

Something new for the vagrants to break.

Anonymous said...

churning

Anonymous said...

sounds like a job for Cool Hand Luke

Anonymous said...

More smoke and mirrors. An earlier release says the city is replacing 800 meters. Let's use that as a baseline. They also said parking was $1.00 per hour. At a MAXIMUM, 800 meters x 365 days x 24 hours = 7,008,000. So at a buck an hour that's $7,000,000 MAX REVENUE. At 50%, that's $3,500,000 which might, just might net the city the $2,000,000. I would love to see the report because Chokwe is "promising" this revenue. Never going to happen unless they are writing expired meter tickets at huge rates and fees. Total BS, just like the consultants that promise outlandish economic benefits when new stadiums get build on the taxpayer dime.

Anonymous said...

Is this the Richards Disposal of parking meter's? Another Mayoral kneel to organized crime? Read the BBB review, and this should do fine without any hitch, I'm sure.

Anonymous said...

Pearl, with revenue generating traffic cams. Jackson charging to put out your fire. Magic parking meters powered by pixie dust.
I'm shocked....shocked,,,, I say!

Anonymous said...

"“We’re looking at $550 per meter that needs to be replaced. That adds up very quickly” said Sandra Bentil with the St. Petersburg Police Department.

Repair crews are trying to keep up. Sometimes, they can salvage a meter. Other times, they can’t, or it works for a time, and then quits."



https://www.wfla.com/news/pinellas-county/foam-sealant-injected-into-st-petersburg-parking-meters-costing-thousands-to-fix/

"ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. (WFLA) – Someone in St. Petersburg is taking revenge on dozens of parking meters.

In the past week and a half, the person responsible has damaged 74 meters in the downtown area.

Let’s face it. Nobody likes to pay to park. But apparently somebody is taking their anger out, by injecting sticky, expandable foam into the coin and credit card slots of parking meters."

Anonymous said...

Coin Metering is safe and equitable.
App Metering opportunes graft and theft by exposing personal data, could even enhance race based billing.

Unless Lil Choke is struck off his ass in an epiphany to arise as Lil Angel, he might source his fairy tale millions by suing his critics of creative metering "for all their worth and not worth".

Anonymous said...

Coin Metering is at least equitable.
App Metering opportunes graft and theft by exposing personal data, could even enhance race based billing.

Unless Lil Choke is struck off his ass in an epiphany to arise as Lil Angel, he might source his fairy tale millions by suing his critics of creative metering "for all their worth and not worth".

Krusatyr said...

Naturally our little tyrant is putting his ass before the cart. An authentic Mayor would first fix a long list of deficiencies, number one being the mayor himself,and then sell his town to new, genuine businesses before building a revenue plan around diminishing customers parking for diminished businesses.

By Any Means Necessary said...

Are these meters DEI compliant? Is Chowke using "fuzzy math" again?

Anonymous said...

Could the old meters be used to fill in pot holes?

Anonymous said...

There was a group in the initial RFP in 2016/2017 that offered no cost for the meters, would install and get paid back from the city using a cost share over three years. Offered the city a beautification allowance but nothing for Chokwe. In the meeting he asked who is bringing this to us, removed it from the list. #AnyoneButAntar2025

Anonymous said...

this is comical. How fast will these be broken? Also, who is traveling to downtown Jackson to pay to park? You have state workers and who else? Just wasting money.

Anonymous said...

I definitely want my digital devices to interface with a City run by criminals. And considering the current trend for bots to go back in time, correlating every single bit about us that they can find, I REALLY want digital records of where I've parked - stored to be used for no-telling-what, no-telling-when, until the end of humanity (which is increasingly seeming like it can't come too soon).

Anonymous said...

Translation:

If you are visiting one of the three liberal law firms left downtown, be prepared to pay to park.

Anonymous said...

Yep, that sounds about right, 1:59.

Anonymous said...

maybe just maybe this is where these high tech meters become sentinent and start defending themselves against theft, vandals, etc. etc. Skynet anyone?

Anonymous said...

It may be easier and cheaper if the Virgii and Stokes would just cut him a check to just sit down, shut up and do nothing "for the city".

If he did not have to spend time force feeding the residents the shady contracts with Richard's and this criminal parking meter enterprise he could he could focus his valuable time on traveling and collecting money for speaking engagements that explain to other cities how he became he best mayore that ever lived.

Anonymous said...

One thing I can say with 100% certainty is I will never contribute one dime toward the $2 million parking scam.


Will the State or Feds never investigate this clown?

Anonymous said...

Who still works downtown other than State and Federal employees?

Anonymous said...

"We are excited to announce this contract with SP Plus but cannot reveal the name of the owner of SP Plus."

Forgot to mention these meters will work only with tokens - No U.S. minted coins. Tokens can be redeemed for cash or credit card at all gas stations in the city.

It's irrelevant that Rukia has a 20 year contract to manufacture the tokens.

Hookah said...

Richard's Parking Meters, LLC

Anonymous said...

Rukia say no!

Chowke's Contract Steering and Palm Greasing LLC said...

Socrates Parking Meter Scams LLC. Right? Chowke, am I right?

Anonymous said...

Nice typo in the press release: https://markets.businessinsider.com/news/stocks/sp-plus-corporation-to-manage-new-on-street-parking-system-for-the-city-of-jackson-mississippi-1033275824

Anonymous said...

License plate readers? Sounds suspicious.

Anonymous said...

So Lumumba surveyed the field of candidates and chose a company that has a 1.02 average rating on a 1-5 scale per the Better Business Bureau website.
This will be another disincentive for people to support downtown business.

Lumumba's standards are all about who helps him and his ring of support. Screw the people.

Anonymous said...

Because soooooo many people park downtown.

Anonymous said...

New parking meters to enhance the desirability of downtown Jackson really does beat all.

Anonymous said...

On another note with all of the apts in the COJ Who were not paying water bills how did the city allow that without shutting them off? Can you check with residents and see if water was added to their rent or were the tenants billed directly by the city?


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