Privatize the Parking Authority?

Here's an interesting and potentially lucrative idea that has been making the rounds in City Hall: Privatize big chunks of the Philadelphia Parking Authority by selling or leasing assets - from meters to parking garages - to private companies. Get a big fee up front, save on operating expenses, and put a dent in Philadelphia's biggest patronage operation.

Chicago received a whopping $1.2 billion late last year when it sold to a private company the rights to manage and collect cash from its parking meters for 75 years. Which is great. Then the private operators quadrupled meter rates. Not so great.

City Deputy Mayor Rina Cutler acknowledged that she had been "looking at" privatizing meters, and last week, Mayor Nutter had a poll in the field that asked (among other questions) how Philadelphians would feel about privatizing the agency's off-street garages.

A spokesman for the Parking Authority said the agency was aware that the city was exploring the ideas, but declined to comment further.

Politically, privatization would be a challenge. The Parking Authority is run by the state, not the city. The agency also has powerful supporters, such as Reps. John Perzel and Dwight Evans.

Certainly, no changes are imminent. Don't expect any proposals to make their way into the 2010 budget for instance. But there are plenty of reformers who might back privatizing Parking Authority functions, given that it could generate extra cash for city services and the school district.

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