Expect another ugly scene at council committee hearing

Of all the Dallas City Council committee meetings Tuesday (the usual Monday meetings are being pushed back a day because of Memorial Day), expect the 2 p.m. Transportation and Environment Committee to be the most interesting and the most contentious.

The first briefing the committee will hear involves concessions at Love Field, which is really becoming an ugly mess. On the one hand, you have the city staff which is arguing a perfectly sensible plan to increase the number of concessionaires at Love Field to give patrons more choices and to boost business. However, the two outfits that currently operate all the concessions at Love Field now are minority owned and minority council members want to protect them. As a result, they have put themselves in the position of fighting against the best interests of Love Field and those who use the airport. The first hearing on this last month was not pretty to witness because of its blatant racism and I don't expect this one to be any better.

After that, the committee takes up the tricky issue of booting cars on private parking lots. According to the fourth slide of this briefing, "There has been a rise in complaints from patrons
of pay parking lots and businesses near these lots regarding the use of vehicle immobilization
devices; without state or local regulation, there is an increased opportunity for fraudulent and
predatory practices that negatively impact the public."

The problem appears to be that many of these parking lots don't provide receipts. Users are supposed to stick money in slots that correspond to the spaces in which they parked. If there is no money in the slots when collectors come, then the cars are immobilized and it costs about $100 to free them. Patrons are blaming the restaurants closest to the parking lots and swearing they will never patronize them again. This is especially prevalent in Deep Ellum. (Some are claiming these payment devices lots are being looted by thieves.)

There seems to be a simple solution to all this -- install electronic payment devices that print out receipts. Parking lot owners claim this is too expensive an option. Well, I'll tell you what to do, parking lot owners -- raise your rates to pay for them. I would gladly pay a higher parking fee for the comfort of knowing that my car will not be booted or towed, even though I paid to park in your lot.