Scottsdale council suspends parking-technology pitch after procurement concerns

Mayor Lisa Borowski suspended a private demonstration of parking-technology solutions during a Jan. 7 special Scottsdale City Council meeting after members raised procurement and conflict-of-interest concerns.

Parking consultant Chris Milke described systems that detect individual parking stalls, report real-time occupancy and export data on dwell time, handicap and EV spaces. Milke told the council that "our systems, from the minute a vehicle parks, it tells you how long it parked, the time it parked," and argued that better dynamic signage and space guidance would redirect visitors to underused garages and improve the Old Town experience.

Vice Mayor Adam Kwasman objected that hearing a vendor’s pitch in council could give that presenter an unfair advantage in any future city procurement and moved to discontinue the presentation, saying he wanted "a vote on whether we could continue with this presentation." Acting City Attorney Louis Santillan advised that legal advice would be best delivered in private, prompting a motion to go into executive session. After council members met privately, Mayor Borowski told the public: "due to the concerns that were raised about potential procurement advantages, we are going to suspend the presentation on the parking." She also said, "Just for the record, there has been no RFP."

The suspension leaves the city without a public demonstration of Milke’s dynamic-signage approach. Supporters of technology argued it could improve utilization of existing garages and provide objective data on peak usage; critics said the city should first rely on a formal, competitive procurement process and updated parking studies. The council later moved to public comment and continued the agenda without the suspended presentation.