WASHINGTON (Map, News) - The D.C. Council is considering a tax on private employee parking spaces, a measure that could cost businesses tens of millions of dollars and lead to a fee for drivers who now park for free.

Councilmen Jim Graham and Phil Mendelson co-introduced the bill, which would levy a $25 per month “Clean Air Act Compliance Fee” on any employee garage or surface lot parking space “used by a person … to have access to employment.”

While property-owning businesses would be taxed by the city, the measure allows those charges to be passed along to individuals who park in the spaces.    

These spaces, owned by firms such as Fannie Mae, are generating no sales tax revenues and are accomplishing little to inspire transit use, to improve air quality or to reduce traffic congestion, Graham said.

“It shouldn’t matter whether you pay for employee parking, for you get it for free; you have the same impact” on roads and air quality, said Graham, who would direct the money collected to the D.C. Department of Transportation for congestion mitigation and air quality improvement.

The Apartment and Office Building Association of Metropolitan Washington immediately blasted the idea.

“The reality is, most employers are probably going to have to eat those costs,” said Nicola Whiteman, the group’s vice president of government affairs. “[Free parking is] an added incentive to attracting and retaining employees in the District.”

The measure defines an “employment parking space” as one “in which employment parking by a motor vehicle occurs more than two days a week.” Officials estimate thousands exist, though no one could provide an accurate count.

Spaces that generate sales tax revenues — daily parking, for example — would be exempt, as would spaces owned by Metro, those regulated by meters, and those owned or controlled by foreign governments.

The federal government isn’t explicitly exempted in the bill, but taxing federal property is generally a no-go. Brian McNicoll, spokesman for U.S. Rep. Tom Davis, R-Va., said it “doesn’t appear that they can rope the government into it.”

“We don’t want to interfere in internal deliberations of the District government,” McNicoll said. “But Crystal City’s a short hop.”

Ronald Kirby, transportation planning director with the Metropolitan Washington Council of Governments, said the fee would have to be passed onto the employee, he said, or “it will have no impact at all on travel behavior.”

Ward 6 Councilman Tommy Wells co-sponsored the bill.

mneibauer@dcexaminer.com

Comments from Examiner Readers

9:43 AM MST on Wed., Apr. 16, 2008 re: "Council weighs taxing free employee parking"

Examiner Reader said:
Oh, well. Nobody will come to DC anymore. Especially since Graham parks his own car for free. "Do as I say, not as I do."

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11:11 AM MST on Sun., Mar. 16, 2008 re: "Council to carve up big pot of money"

Homnoir: said:
Oh well, The Cary Silveman campaign may be seeing it's due demise. Silverman & all 10 of his constituents -Ray(We're-Here-We're....) Milefsky, Martin Moulton, Richard (Act-Up) Rogers, Si (I-demand-Shotspotter-now)Kailian, Alex (Bring-me-a-memo) Padro, Kevin (Uncle-Ruckus)Chappelle, Brian (I-demand-an-answer-this-minute-Councilman) Smith and their partners & significant others can take the message that the Shaw/Mt. Vernon/Convention Center/Chinatown community do not find their message(s) are the most viable for the aformentioned communities, as a whole. It's call inclusiveness not colonization by way of gay economic elitism.

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1:36 AM MST on Thu., Mar. 6, 2008 re: "Coucilwoman calls for buyout decrease and bonus for staffers who stay"

Examiner Reader said:
In any large business, there are incompetent workers. However, there are still many competent workers in D.C. government & a "brain drain" is possible! Most of the problems & perception of bad service are due to ill-prepared managers; managers that should never have been placed in such positions & certainly not allowed to continue as managers. D.C., unfortunately, has an ineffective, inefficient, inadequate method of selecting, training, maintaining & validating its office/program managers. In most instances, required supervisory (MSS)training is a joke and focuses mostly on fluff. A crew is only as good as its captain. If the captain is ethically challenged, unable or unwilling to perform, unfair, and/or a bully to subordinates-the public should expect poor performance and/or service. Yet, even under such challenges, many D.C. workers try to do their work. Their cries for help are routinely ignored & they have become easy whipping posts for what ails DC. Request my name be anonymous.

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12:55 AM MST on Thu., Mar. 6, 2008 re: "Coucilwoman calls for buyout decrease and bonus for staffers who stay"

Examiner Reader said:
Could you do a follow-up to determine how, and when, employees will be notified as to whether they have been guaranteed to receive the incentive payment. Employees would like to put in their official papers if they knew they would definitely receive the incentive. For instance, does it matter when one actually leaves the rolls? How much notice will employees receive that they have been found eligible? The applicaiton to retire, open through Friday, March 7, 2008, is an intent to retire and allows an employee to withdraw their intent. As a matter of fact, could you see whether or not the city is going to have a special fund during FY 2009 to pay these incentives? If Gandhi is saying there is a fiscal problem looming, how does that fit in? Also, will employees receive a lump sum incentive payment or payouts throughout 2009? Will those identified for the incentive payment be based on actual quality of services provided based on the last evaluation? Request my name be anonymous.

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5:44 PM MST on Tue., Mar. 4, 2008 re: "Coucilwoman calls for buyout decrease and bonus for staffers who stay"

Examiner Reader said:
Councilwoman Carol Schwartz is in error. There would be no "brain drain" from the ranks of the D.C. Government because of the fact that the majority of the D.C. employees have little or no brains to begin with. Frankly, if they want to do the taxpayers a favor what they should do is fire what they have and recruit from the outside. Then their problems would be solved.

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1:19 PM MST on Mon., Oct. 15, 2007 re: "Council to carve up big pot of money"

What about the taxpayers? said:
Those of use who pay through the nose in property taxes should get a little relief. How about a partial refund?

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