Municipal Government: Kings & Queens of Parking
By Kathryn Hebert
My career has been in the municipal/public sector space for more than 35 years, with about 25 of those years in the parking industry. In 2020, I left municipal government and started my own business in a similar space focused on transit and sustainable communities.
On March 22, I had the privilege to participate in the Inaugural IPMI Municipal Member Roundtable. More than 60 public officials participated from around the country.
The conversation was totally engaging and we heard similar stories, issues, and viable solutions. To me, the conversation was comforting and familiar having been educated and worked in that environment for most of my professional career.
This group are thought leaders, problem solvers, and solution-oriented. Working for municipal government can be restricting and challenging as you have to always navigate the legislative and purchasing process, balance development growth and politics, get buy-in from the public, and collect reams of data to prove your point (which doesn’t always work in a political space). Regardless, it is one of the most rewarding careers.
The common themes that I took away from this engaging and educational forum were:
- Data is king.
- Outreach and public education are critical.
- Pilots may not always be the best way to achieve success and must be aligned with the vision and have restricted parameters.
- There is a shift in labor from contract assistance to in-house capacity.
- There is more than one way to achieve a successful project/program. When one path doesn’t work, there is always another.
- You are not alone; other municipal employees are going through the same thing!
Thank you to IPMI for putting together an inspiring municipal platform to exchange ideas, collectively problem solve, and to ultimately create sustainable communities around the world.
Kathryn Hebert is president and CEO of TPMConnect and a member of IPMI’s Board of Directors. She can be reached at kathryn.hebert@tpmconnect.com.