SR-071310-7Ac7®
c;cvor City Council Report
Santa Monica
City Council Meeting: July 13, 2010
Agenda Item: ~`-~
To: Mayor and City Council
From: Carol Swindell, Finance Director
Subject: Ordinance Modifying SMMC 3.16.040 and 3.16.120
Recommended Action
Staff recommends that City Council introduce for first reading an ordinance amending
Santa Monica Municipal Code sections 3.16.040 and 3.16.120 related to parking meter
holidays.
Executive Summary
During the Fiscal Year 2010/2011 Budget Study Sessions, Council inquired as to the
possibility of recognizing Martin Luther King Jr. Day as a holiday for parking meter
enforcement. Following review of the code and surveying neighboring cities, staff
recommends adding Martin Luther King Jr. Day and deleting Lincoln's Birthday as
holidays for meter enforcement. This would make Santa Monica consistent with other
neighboring cities and have minimal budget impact during fiscal years where a holiday
falls on a Sunday.
Discussion
Since 1984, Santa Monica Municipal Code section 3.16.040 related to parking meters
has defined holidays as the following:
New Year's Day -January 1
Lincoln's Birthday -February 12
President's Day- The 3rd Monday in February
Memorial Day -The last Monday in May
Independence Day -July 4
Labor Day -The 1st Monday in September
Columbus Day -The 2nd Monday in October
Veteran's Day -November 11
Thanksgiving Day
Christmas Day -December 25 and any other day designated by the City Council
of the City of Santa Monica as a day for public feast, thanksgiving or holiday.
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It also specified that when January 1, February 12, July 4, November 11, or December
25 falls on a Saturday, the holiday shall be deemed to be the preceding Friday; when
January 1, February 12, July 4, November 11, or December 25 falls on a Sunday, the
holiday shall be deemed to be the following Monday.
During the Fiscal Year 2010/2011 budget study sessions, Council inquired as to options
and impacts of recognizing Martin Luther King Jr. Day as a holiday for the purpose of
parking enforcement. In response to this inquiry, staff surveyed neighboring cities to
determine what holidays were recognized for the purpose of parking enforcement
activities. All cities were consistent, except for Los Angeles, which has certain meters in
West Los Angeles and Venice that are enforced daily. In each case, the cities
recognized Martin Luther King Jr. Day but not Lincoln's Birthday. In order to ease
confusion of drivers who frequently travel between the Westside cities, staff
recommends modifying Section 3.16.040 to delete Lincoln's Birthday and add Martin
Luther King Jr. Day, resulting in the following holiday list:
New Year's Day -January 1;
Martin Luther King Jr. Day -The 3rd Monday in January;
President's Day- The 3rd Monday in February;
Memorial Day -The last Monday in May;
Independence Day -July 4;
Labor Day -The 1st Monday in September;
Columbus Day -The 2nd Monday in October;
Veteran's Day -November 11;
Thanksgiving Day;
Christmas Day -December 25
This recommendation would result in no revenue impact to the City. Meters that are
currently enforced daily in portions of downtown and near the beach would continue to
be enforced every day.
Staff further recommends deleting the provisions of the municipal code that shifts
holidays that fall on a Saturday or Sunday to Friday or Monday, respectively. Staff
believes this was initially adopted in error, as a result of simply copying the City
employee holiday schedule in effect at the time of adoption. Revenues could increase
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by up to $10,000-for each holiday that occurred. on a Sunday in any given fiscal year.
This would also eliminate confusion about which day was considered the holiday for
meter enforcement.
As staff reviewed Santa Monica Municipal Code Chapter 3.16, it was discovered that,
although the code defined holidays, it no longer included what exceptions were to occur
on holidays. The modification to section 3.16.120 is proposed to specify that meters
would be exempt from payment on holidays, except those currently operated every day
of the year in downtown and near the beach.
Additionally, the proposed ordinance includes some minor language changes to reflect
current positions, organizational structure and to more clearly reflect the intent of the
code. The most significant of these changes is replacing the specifically defined
California Special Recognition Plates designated by the California Department of Motor
Vehicles, such as the various veterans' plates, with a generic statement. Currently, the
code exempts all Special Recognition Plates; therefore, the proposed change has no
operational impact. If additional Special Recognition Plates are designated in the future,
they will automatically have the same exempt status as existing ones.
Alternatives
Council could choose to add or delete additional holidays. The revenue impact of
adding or deleting additional holidays would be either a gain or loss of approximately
$15,000 per day. Council could also choose to modify the list to reflect holidays that are
recognized by the City and that City Hall is closed:
New Year's Day -January 1;
Martin Luther King Jr. Day -The 3rd Monday in January;
President's Day- The 3rd Monday in February;
Memorial Day -The last Monday in May;
Independence Day -July 4;
Labor Day -The 1st Monday in September;
Thanksgiving Day;
Christmas Day -December 25
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This would result in a revenue increase of approximately $30,000 per year due to the
reduction in recognized holidays from ten to eight. It should be noted that staff also
receives the Friday after Thanksgiving as a holiday, a high revenue day for parking.
Financial Impacts & Budget Actions
There would be potential additional revenue as described above in fiscal years where
one or more holidays falls on a Sunday.
Prepared by: Donald Patterson, Business & Revenue Operations Manager
Approved:
Forwarded to Council:
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Carol Swindell Rod Gould
Finance Director City Manager
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City Council Meeting: 7-13-201ff
Santa Monica, California
ORDI~IAIVCE ~uMBE~ {ccs>
{City Council Series)
AfaJ ORDIf~AI~CE OF THE CITY CC?IJNCIL DF THE CITY OF SANTA MOI~ICA
AMEh1D19~G VARIC7tJS SECTfONS tJF CHAPTER 3.16 OF THE SAhJTA Mt?t~ICA
MU~lICIPAL C(3DE RELATIIVL3 T{? I'ARKIIVG METERS
WHEREAS, the City of Santa Monica currently recognizes Lincoln's Birthday,
February 12, as a holiday, and does not require payment at on-street parking meters on
that day; and
WI-IEREAS, the City of Santa ~rionica currently does nat recognize Martin Luther
Icing Jr. Day, the third Monday in January, as a holiday, and does require payment at
on-street parking meters on that day; and
WHEREAS; neighboring cities recognize Martin Luther King Jr. Day but do not
recognize Lincoln's Birthday for on-street parking meter purposes; and
WHEREAS, in order td ease confusion of drivers traveling between Santa
Monica and neighboring cities, the City of Santa Monica desires to recognize Martin
Luther King Jr. Day as a holiday and to cease recognizing Lincoln's Birthday for on-
street parking mater purposes; and
WHEREAS, a past Municipal Code amendment erroneously granted parking
meter tee exemptions on weekdays before or after ce€tain weekend I~olidays, and that
error should be corrected to protect City revenues.
NOW: THEREFORE: THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF SANTA MONICA
DOES HEREBY ORDAIN AS FOLLOWS:
SECTION 1. Section 3.16.040 of Chapter 3.16 of the Santa Monioa Municipal
Cade is amended to read as fallaws:
~~cticsra 3.1&.04fl. hlsalfe#ay.
As used in this Cha~>ter Tthe word "haliday" shall mean and
include the folEawin0 days: January 1, the 3rd Mandan in
Janua~re~~U ~ 1~, the 3rd Monday in February, the last
Manday in May, July 4, the 1st Manday in September, the
il~an~ '! ~ahrr~nn> 'I? I ,I:~ ii Al n~~aminar h 1 nr ilaramL:ar
SECTION 2. Section 3.16.920 of Chapter 3.16 of the Santa Manisa Municipal
Cade Is amended to read as fallaws:
~eetlan 3.°16.120. C7p~rati~ra of ~arklrog 1~fetars.
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{a} Unless exempt pursuant to subdivision {b} or {c} of this
section. when any vehicle shall be parked in any metered
parking space, the operator immediately shall deposit t#e
co+r~o~~ment in the manner prescribed an the
parking meter or at the parking space. Unless othendvise
Subdivision {a} ofi this section shall not re+~uire an
operator ofi a vehicle to deposit payment in a ~arkinq meter
when:
~1 }~t~n-less-the parking meter indicates an unexpired
portion remains of the period for which ~aYment
had been ' ed-previousiy made; or
er the nr~nmtnr 'xnmarJ'ntal~r hno v~l~r®rl intn
u+~ amain-an affiaer of the Fire ar Police
Dement has determined a period of emergenoy
eXlSts: ar''a~~..te,"-;'~"'rand-::z:-~y-.:s^,-vf~,c~-^f~,::-~-t,ti v';-~-.n~,~t~e
r-~Fi-ten-t;
3~er-in comp€iance with the directions of a police
officer or traffic oontroi sign or signs(: or
~q} a posted sign at theparkinq space indicates words
similar to "Except Sundav" or "Except Sundays and
Holidavs" and -the day is a Sunday or a hoiida~as
defined in section 3.16.Q4i).
(c} Subdivision (a} of this section shall not require an
by the California Department of Motor Vehicles"~~ ^^*~~
(9) Clean Air or Zero-Emissions Vehicle Decal; or
I'>1 ~r5rn G n~ 1Jnh' 3 D.,rL' rl
tz-7-~-...r L-~r 'mv~irnrv-a-., 'rorc-rrnr<rn~-cam
f.~.t G?~rrn la C-!Dort lir•o ncc nln~ta
IF1 li rrv n C9 r'c. f\A1.~ !' i.,i.,~
'(of-+ mrrcr' "v-vrvvvr-7ioc;r~si. ~ruzc,y
~] , u~ s,,, c r r ~l~±eanv Special Recognition
^yYy\}TT[ v ~ •v
Plate.
SECTION 3. Any provision of the Santa Manica Municipal Code or appendioes
thereto inconsistent with the provisions of this Ordinance, to the extent of such
inoonsistenoies and no further, is hereby repealed ar modified to that extent necessary
to effect the pravisions of this Ordinance.
SECTION ~. If any section, subsectian, sentence, clause, ar phrase of this
Ordinance is far any reason held to be invalid ar unoonstitutianal by a decision of any
oaurt of oompetent jurisdiction, suoh deoision shall not affect the validity of the
remaining portions of this Ordinanoe. The City Council hereby declares that it would
have passed this Ordinance and each and every seotian, subsectian, sentenoe, olause,
or phrase not declared invalid ar unoonstitutianal withaut regard to whether any partion
of this Ordinanoe would be subsequently deolared invalid or unconstitutiona€.
SECTION 5. The Mayor sha11 sign and the City Clerk shall attest to the passage
of this Ordinanoe. The City Clerk shall cause the same to be published once in the
afficial newspaper within 15 days after its adoption. This Ordinance shall became
effective 30 days from its adoption.
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