Nashville is in a rush to secure a deal to outsource its public parking.

The solicitation for proposals from private companies to take over its on-street parking operations asks for $30 million up front to take over the city's work.

The winning bidder — which would also pay the city its current net revenue parking of $1.5 million — would manage the city's parking spaces, issue tickets, collect fines and issue permits for valet parking, loading zones and street parking permits in residential areas. It would be a 30-year deal.

Nashville is falling behind leading cities when it comes to modernizing its parking operations, according Mayor David Briley, who wrote a memo to the Parking and Traffic Commission on March 4 requesting their endorsement for the deal to go before the Metro Council.

The city, Briley said, lacks certain customer service features and requires multiple handoffs among Metro offices and staff. There's also a gap in real-time reporting and data analytics required to effectively manage "smart" cities today, the mayor said.

Briley's proposal outlines how a private company would take over administrative duties related to ticketing and fine collection for parking in Nashville.

It would affect at least five Public Works employees and several in the Circuit Court Clerk's Office. But Briley said both departments have indicated that the employees would be reassigned to related duties.

The city issued a request for proposals on March 22 and a week later included a draft contract with its solicitation to help speed up the process to fit Metro's quick timeline, according to a Metro attorney at the Parking and Traffic Commission on Monday.

Critics argue the proposal is a raw deal for the city and leaves little autonomy or flexibility for future needs.

However, Briley maintains that part of any agreement will ensure the possibility for Metro’s and the community’s interests to be represented regarding transit, bike and pedestrian improvements, ride shares and scooters.

“Curb management is a rapidly evolving space, and it will become an increasingly important function of urban planning mobility and city management,” he said.

What will happen with parking?

As part of the plan, there will be more paid parking spots around town.

The city will find an additional 500 spots a year for at least four years — doubling the 2,000 spaces it currently has. They are slated to pop up in the Gulch, West End, SoBro and downtown.

The upsides include faster and easier paying for parking using credit cards or mobile apps. The downsides would be fewer free on-street parking spots, and more hours and days when you'd have to pay.

Under the proposed policy:

Enforcement hours would extend from 6 p.m. to 10 p.m.

Sundays would no longer be free.

Meter prices would go up by 25 cents.

Fines would go from $11 to $25.

Metro will also abandon its green permit program, which offers free metered parking for clean technology cars and people who purchase carbon offsets.

Briley said the program represents only a small portion of total demand for on-street parking. Only 142 of these permits were issued in 2018. However, if that number were to significantly increase in the future, the city would lose more than $100 million over the term of an agreement if those people were allowed to park for free.

"Therefore, we propose phasing out the green permit program and, instead, finding other ways to achieve the goals of the existing policy," Briley wrote in his memo.

Why the rush?

To fill gaps in the city budget.

The Tennessean first reported on outsourcing parking last year when Briley floated the idea for a private takeover.

He proposed a "status quo" $2.23 billion operating budget for the 2018-19 fiscal year — just a $22 million increase over the prior year. Navigating that budget shortfall, Briley's administration banked on generating $38 million in new revenue.

To plug $23 million of the shortfall, Briley proposed to sell three publicly-owned pieces of property. That didn't go so well.

One sale was scrapped due to community opposition. Another parcel attracted just a single bidder and sold well under the appraised value. A third received no bids at all.

The move was met with resistance since he revealed it last year and in December, the council unanimously passed an ordinance that prohibits selling Metro land to cover operating expenses. It takes effect when the council approves the operating budget in June for the upcoming fiscal year.

But the other $15 million Briley hoped to make up came from an outsourcing deal. So with just two months left in the current fiscal year, officials want to move fast and secure and finalize a deal.

Critics have said Metro's low property tax rate has created self-inflicted budget problems.

"It was a mistake for the previous administration to allow the property tax rate to fall to the lowest level in the history of the county and until that mistake is corrected, the city will continue to face budgetary challenges every year," said Brad Rayson, president of the Service Employees International Union Local 205.

"At some point the city needs to reckon with the reality that we have a structural revenue problem. Nashville's growth comes with greater demand on our infrastructure and city services," he said.

What's next?

The bid closes Friday. Next, officials will continue talks with companies on the scope of the work and contract adjustments.

The city then plans to issue an intent to award a contract on April 23, leading to final negotiations until April 29.

It will be presented that day to the Traffic and Parking Commission in special meeting to rubber-stamp the deal.

There will be time for public comment at the meeting but officials hope the plan will move along to the Metro Council for final approval by June 18 — at the last council meeting in the fiscal year.

What do you think about having a private company taking over Nashville's parking? Reach Yihyun Jeong at yjeong@tennessean.com. Follow her on Twitter @yihyun_jeong.