This situation is extremely inconvenient for all of us here in Federal Hill, but especially so for those of us using the temporary permits that the Parking Authority has been distributing instead of window decals.  The Mayor, the Council President, and our Council Representatives are all fully appraised of the situation and are actively working to resolve the issue on our behalf. 

As soon as more news becomes available we will distribute it as soon as possible.

Another month has passed and we’re back in the same place again. *Our
parking permits will now be honored until the end of May*.

Slow in coming, progress may be on the way. I recently attended a meeting
of the Residential Permit Parking Program Advisory Board where the Executive
Director of the Parking Authority, Pete Little, assured me that all
outstanding issues with the Parking Authority’s (PABC) computer system had
been resolved. Based upon this information FHNA has agreed to meet with the
Parking Authority to see whether the 2010 renewal is at last feasible. An
attempt was made to set the meeting up for last week, but staff illness at
the PABC has meant that the meeting has now been delayed until Wednesday. I
will report back with news, good or bad, after the meeting.

In the meantime Federal Hill South (Area 19) is having their permit pickup
this weekend. Our sister organization has promised to share the results and
provide feedback on their experience. Obviously this type of information
will be invaluable going into Wednesday’s meeting.

For the benefit of new FHNA members, and as a reminder to current members,
listed below are some bullet points concerning “nuts and bolts” issues
regarding the parking pass postponement:

– Don’t throw away your VisitorPass. These passes are still valid and
despite the postponement of the renewal the Parking Authority will not issue
replacements.

– If you have an orange 2009-2010 window sticker don’t try to replace it
yet. These stickers are still valid

– Don’t try to buy new permits on the Parking Authority website unless
you are a) new to the area or b) have bought a new car. The Parking
Authority is only issuing 2009-2010 permits – they are NOT yet issuing
2010-2011 permits.

– The gray paper permits that you might see on the dashboards of some
cars were issued because the Parking Authority thought that they had run of
window decals. They have now found a small supply of permits and are issuing
the orange window stickers again. In the meantime the gray placards will
remain valid.

– Once the flaws in the computer system have been satisfactorily
addressed the online interface will open for 2010-2011 renewals and we hope
to have the usual community pick-up.

FHNA does not believe that the Parking Authority’s new computer system (T2) is currently able to provide the level of administrative competence necessary to successfully renew the Area 9 RPP program in 2010. FHNA has requested that the 2010/2011 renewal be postponed until certain basic criteria are met, including reinstating many of the safeguards that were previously in place but which are not being applied under the new system.

The Parking Authority has acknowledged the seriousness of the situation and have agreed to this request.

The Parking Authority is liaising with Parking Enforcement to ensure that all of the Area 9 passes remain valid until March 31st, 2010.

At this time the Parking Authority website is not open for 2010 renewals.

The Federal Hill Neighborhood Association will continue to work on your behalf in this matter and will endeavor to keep you informed as to any new developments regarding the upcoming renewal.

RPP Decals must be permanently affixed to the lower left hand corner of the vehicle’s windshield.

Decals must be affixed only to the vehicle for which it was issued.

Any decal not affixed, affixed with glue or tape or other temporary means will be considered invalid and subject to fines and penalties and/or loss of privileges.

Visitor permits are issued solely to the residents for the use of their visitors.

Visitor permits must be displayed face up on the vehicle’s left side of the dashboard.

Please refer to the reverse side of your Decal or Visitor Permit for information and regulations.

Visitor Permits may not be laminated!

All permits , whether purchased at renewal time or through the course of the year, will expire according to the date indicated on the face of the permit unless otherwise authorized by the Baltimore City Parking Authority Inc.