The decision to cancel Jackson's parking meter contract will take a little bit longer to make. Jackson Mayor John Horhn wants to cancel the contract. However, the City Attorney and Council said they needed more information. WLBT reported Monday:
The council was expected to vote on Tuesday to authorize Horhn to end its contract with Metropolis, the company formerly known as SP Plus Corporation, to manage meters and enforce parking downtown. Jackson City Attorney Drew Martin told council members at a work session on Monday that if the request was approved, the city would not immediately cancel the agreement but would rather use the authority as leverage to negotiate with the firm. “Ultimately, the question we’re trying to answer is, ‘Can this be terminated in a way that saves the city money over what it would continue to pay if it stayed in until the end?’” he said. “If the answer is yes, we’re going to recommend [going] forward with the termination. If the answer is no, then we will have some other alternatives,” he added. Jackson hired SP Plus in November 2023 to install parking kiosks across downtown Jackson. As part of the agreement, the city was expected to pay SP a management fee of $94,500 a year, along with a 2% incentive fee from revenue generated from citations. At the time, Casey Robinson, a regional manager for SP, said the kiosks would generate about $2.2 million a year for the city. Figures obtained by 3 On Your Side showed the meters generated $443,483.70 in revenue from May 1, 2024, through June 30, 2025. That number included $313,910 from payments made for parking, and $129,573.70 from citations. Through June 30 of this year, the city has brought in no revenue from the kiosks, despite projecting $100,000 from them. “It’d be better to give it away than to pay to give it away,” Martin said. Rest of article.
Stay tuned.
18 comments:
Who's palm(s) got greased for this contract? I have my suspicions as I am sure many other readers do as well....
Jackson will always be Jackson
the COJ will end up paying $$ to cancel the contract.
Lumumba strike again!
Ooops again!
I'm asking an honest question looking for an honest answer. In the last 15 years, has Jackson done a contract and/or service that has worked? Water/sewer, parking meters, the zoo............ The problems just keep coming. The obvious solution is staring them in the face, but they don't want to see it.
The current meter system is flawed and broken. Apparently it can’t be fixed. The decision should not be based on whether Jackson can “save money” going forward by not changing companies.
Whenever I travel and eat in a downtown location, I get out of my vehicle, scan a "barcode" and in less than 30 to 60 seconds, am paid up, and that is b/c there are companies that do this service as a primary business.......I am guessing that the City of Jackson, had a "friend" start a business after being awarded the contract for this service, and thus the absolute ineffectiveness of the meters and the revenue generating projections, and the clause that insures that the provider will not lose a penny even if the service they are contracted to provide does not work. WE have got to STOP electing IDIOTS!!
Jackson city council is the definition of insanity - keep electing the same people and expect different results. Yes, Chowke got his cut from the meters and from the garbage contract.
I worked for a week downtown on Amite last year. The meter closest to me was smashed. I used a different meter but when I tried to put more money to continue parking, it did not allow me to. I had to move my car even though there were no other cars around. Nothing works here. Nothing.
Whose, not who's (who is).
Nope
The worst thing about the COJ is that the multitude of things that have become a cluster are handled in a competent manner every day by, let's say, "normal" municipalities.
Sad state of affairs when a capitol city is arguing over a half million dollar revenue/year project. There should be free parking, high speed rail, plenty of parking spots, businesses fighting to get into downtown, flying cars and pigs etc. American city transportation is a joke. When you see how wide and far the jackson metropolitan area is, a rail system to connect everyone doesn't sound so crazy.
"that INSURES that the provider..." Ensure, not insure.
The meters do not work properly. I would hope that fact alone would allow the city to cancel the contract and maybe sue for damages as a result of not getting revenue
I hate how WLBT says "Your" Jackson City leaders.. "Your" Tax dollars. STFU with the editorializing and just give us the damn news already. Why I watch WAPT.
There is no way those meters are ADA compliant. That should be enough to give the city an out.
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