Workgroup Delivers Phase 1 Findings and Outlines Improvements
Photo Courtesy City of Annapolis
ANNAPOLIS, MD – Today, the City of Annapolis published a report on Phase I of City Manager Yolanda L. Lewis’ Parking Reform Workgroup’s findings. The interdepartmental workgroup began in June 2026, with Phase I focused on an internal audit of parking problems and extensive legal, operational, and policy evaluations. The workgroup’s long-term goal is to design a parking system in Annapolis that is more user-friendly and less punitive.
The work began earlier this year when the City's Ombudsman reported to the newly appointed City Manager that nearly 40 percent of all the complaints handled by her office revolve around parking issues. Lewis appointed Transportation Director Markus Moore as chair and brought together representatives from nine City departments, including the Mayor’s office, Office of Law, Finance, Police, and Information Technology Systems (ITS), and Public Works. Ald. Brooks Schandelmeier serves as a representative of the City Council and member of the Transportation Committee.
"Managing the City's parking system requires a balancing act that addresses the needs of City residents, local businesses, and visitors,” said Ald. Schandelmeier. "As a member of the Transportation Committee, we know where current practices are not working, what needs tweaking, and what can be expanded. I'm excited that the workgroup is rolling up their sleeves and fixing what we can and providing details on how long those fixes will realistically take."
The resulting Phase I Progress Report established 12 draft recommendations to streamline operations and preserve essential revenue that funds public transit, maintenance of parking structures, and infrastructure costs without shifting burdens to local taxpayers.
“Parking revenue is a vital tool that ensures our millions of annual visitors contribute their fair share to the infrastructure they rely on, rather than placing those costs solely on residents,” City Manager Lewis said. “However, our workgroup recognizes that the system must function with transparency and ease for users. The workgroup’s main charge was to eliminate customer friction and move away from punitive practices.”
The report outlines that the complete action plan (including Phases II and III) will not be complete until 2027. In the meantime, the workgroup identified numerous short- and immediate-term wins, including (see attached report for full list of recommendations):
- Transitioning Mills Hillman Garage to Post-Paid Parking: Targeted for conversion by late fall 2026, the Mills Hillman Garage will transition from a prepaid model to a post-pay, pay-on-exit system. Drivers who enroll will pay only for their time parked, eliminating flat citations for overstaying prepaid limits. Users will have options to receive start-session text notifications, verify enrollment, and utilize pay machines or mobile options (similar to the way Gotts, Knighton and Park Place function).
- Vendor Consolidation (Single RFP): Working toward a single, unified parking management vendor across all City garages and on-street metered parking spaces. The City intends to pursue a new Request for Proposal (RFP) when current contracts expire at the end of 2027.
- Streamline the Payment Application: The City is working toward a unified customer interface using a single payment app across all public parking spaces, including garages and metered/kiosk, and residential parking. The City is also exploring integrating resident free-parking perks directly into the app to eliminate cumbersome promo codes.
- Citation and Fine Structure Reform: The City Administration, guided by the Office of Law, is drafting legislation to establish a clear, auditable administrative process for reviewing and waiving citations under defined circumstances. A temporary moratorium on informal citation dismissals will run through October 31, 2026, while the City Council deliberates on the new framework.
- Unified Enforcement Model: The City intends to establish a single enforcement model that integrates parking vendor operations and the Annapolis Police Department under one set of standards.
Up Next: Public Hearing and Community Engagement (Phase II)
City Manager Lewis and Transportation Director Moore will present the workgroup’s Phase I findings to the Transportation Committee during a public meeting on Wednesday, September 16. The meeting will begin at 4 p.m. and will be broadcast on the City’s YouTube channel.
As the workgroup continues the deployment of items from Phase I, the workgroup will begin moving to Phase II: Community Engagement. Over the next two months, the City will conduct online surveys and host a virtual community meeting for residents and business owners to gather direct feedback before the final action plan (Phase III) goes before the Annapolis City Council.
“Phase I focused on specifying the problems and fixing the internal mechanics,” Director Moore said. “The next steps should reflect the everyday experience of users, including residents, local businesses and visitors. We invite the entire community to participate as we work to refine solutions.”
- Visit the Parking Workgroup’s page on the City website to download the report and sign up to participate in the community survey when it launches later in the fall.
