FAYETTEVILLE — Employees of Dickson Street restaurants and other nearby business will have to share their pay stubs and email addresses with the city to earn discounted parking privileges.
That’s what it will take to make parking easier and substantially cheaper come Aug. 16 when the city launches its paid parking program for the entertainment district.
City parking officials outlined those modifications to the plan Thursday in a meeting with merchants, employees and others affected by the parking plan. They’ve been hashing out details trying to respond to concerns about how the program will work.
On Aug. 16, the city will convert about 1,000 free parking spaces on and around Dickson Street to a paid system, but accommodations have been made for workers and employers.
Full-time employees who participate in the discounted parking program will be e-mailed 22 discounted parking codes a month after they’ve submitted their pay stubs from the previous month to the city’s parking office. Those codes will deduct 90 percent off the city’s parking fee as long as the car is parked in an on-street pay spot that’s not on Dickson or Watson streets.
Employees using the program must have a valid credit card on file with the city, said Sharon Waters, Fayetteville’s parking and telecommunications manager. And each quarter of the year, as a cross-check system, employers will be required to mail or email a copy of their payroll tax reports listing each employee to Fayetteville parking office. Confidential information such Social Security numbers and pay rates can be redacted.
As part of the modified discount system, part-time workers will receive up to 11 discount codes — referred to as coupons by the city’s parking office — each month.
If all of this sounds likes too many hoops to jump through, parking officials say they’re more than happy to direct workers to an ample numbers of free spaces around the downtown area not far from the entertainment district.
“We needed some place to start,” said Terry Gulley, transportation services director. “We’re going to review the whole program 90 days after we kick it off to see where we need to make changes.”
“Nothing in this is written in stone,” Waters added.
Joe Fennel, owner of Bordinos Restaurant, was concerned about some of the more irregular restaurant workers, such as wine and liquor salesmen.
“I can think of one salesman ... his vehicle’s there for an hour and a half or two hours. What should I tell them?” Fennel asked.
“One of the things they may want to think about is, is this the cost of doing business?” remarked Don Marr, Fayetteville’s chief of staff. Delivery and other vehicles servicing businesses in the area are encouraged to make their stops prior to 10 a.m., when parking is free.
Thursday’s meeting was also an occasion to begin registering residents for the free residential permit program. Marr, who lives near Meadow and Locust streets, was the first to sign up.
The city will add 2.5 parking staff enforcement positions to assist in added patrols. Starting pay is just more than $11 per hour, Waters said. The program will also purchase a subcompact vehicle — possibly electric — and a three-wheeled Segway-type transport device to accommodate one person.
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For a copy of the Residential Parking Program Enrollment Form, go to http://www.accessfayetteville.org/government/parking_mgmt/documents