Council reviews OVG Parking contract for Claiborne Street garage; questions about Corps revenue and rates

City staff introduced a proposed agreement with OVG Parking LLC to operate and manage the Claiborne Street parking garage, saying the contract would centralize monthly parkers and outside agreements under OVG’s management.

At the meeting, Councilman Reynolds raised concerns about how OVG’s 2% net‑profit fee will be calculated and whether it will include revenue the city receives from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. “In their calculation for their 2% of net profit, are they including that amount that we're receiving from the Corps of Engineers and our other agreement?” Reynolds asked. City staff confirmed OVG will manage the Corps’ parking and other monthly parkers and that revenue will flow through the manager’s reporting structure.

Staff said Joe Snowden is working with OVG on monthly rates and that pricing will be market‑driven. Council members urged reasonable rate restrictions to avoid arbitrary increases during high‑demand periods such as Mardi Gras. “There should be some reasonable restrictions where they can't just say a $100 a spot arbitrarily as well,” one council member said.

Staff described a related amendment to the FD Stonewater ground lease to integrate parking responsibilities and said the Corps lease will be modified to reflect federal guidance on electric‑vehicle parking; staff characterized the Corps’ change as a reduction in the number of federal‑designated spaces. The city did not provide a final, binding monthly‑rate schedule at the pre‑meeting and said contract details would be included in the agreement to be considered by the council.

Next steps: the staff said a contract with OVG will be placed on a future council agenda; specific monthly rates and any hard caps or not‑to‑exceed language were not specified at the pre‑meeting.