Cold Spring Chamber Seeks Reduced Parking Ticket Fines

By Holly Crocco

No one likes a parking ticket.

While the Village of Cold Spring relies on income from metered parking – as well as tickets – to bring in revenue, merchants say the hefty $75 fine is not only turning customers off from shopping in the village, but making residents feel unwelcome on their own main street.

During the Aug. 12 Cold Spring Village Board meeting, Mayor Kathleen Foley said village government has been working with the Chamber of Commerce and its Main Street Committee, and business owners, to come up with some compromises or tradeoffs that satisfy both parties.

“I want to set the expectation that our primary constituency is our residents,” she said. “Main Street is one element of the village and one element that has needs… It is a very important element. It is critical to our thriving economy and our community.”

As village fiduciaries, Foley noted that, “The paid parking ($2 per hour) brings in about 5 percent of our general fund income, which seems small, but it has impacts broadly.”

Gina Larson, owner of Brass Monkey Home on Main Street, said store owners often field questions from shoppers who are unsure if they’ve parked in an acceptable spot, if they need to pay, and how long they are allowed to stay.

And if the patron makes an error, they are hit with a $75 ticket.

“It just seems very out of line (compared to) other municipalities in the area. They are typically around $30 to $40,” said Larson. “Seventy-five dollars seems really excessive, so we’re asking for that to be reduced, or even have an incentive to reduce the ticket if paid within 24 hours.”

She suggested the ticket fine be $25 if paid within 24 hours, and go up to $50, then $75 as time goes on.

Larson also asked that the village consider removing the 4-hour time cap on most spots, saying it’s not always enough for some visitors to park, wait for table at restaurant, eat, go shopping, enjoy the waterfront, et cetera.

“I think that the same per-hour meter revenue is less hassle for people, than to have to move their car to a different spot,” she said.

Foley said the village has heard a range of feedback from merchants regarding this issue – from clothing stores, to restaurants, and others. “A spot is an item to be consumed,” she said. “For some stores it makes sense to have turnover. For others, it’s frustrating.”

Kate van Voorhees, a member of the village’s Historic District Review Board, said four hours isn’t enough, as it leaves people scrambling to get back to their cars when they’re not done shopping.

“The consensus is, if they’re here and they’re enjoying the village and shopping and participating, then maybe we should just let them stay,” she said.

Foley said the village board understands that, but from their perspective, revenue is revenue regardless of whether it’s one person paying for a whole day of parking, or multiple people paying for that spot.

“We don’t have a lack of parking in Cold Spring, what we have is a lack of parking on Main Street,” she added. “It’s finite. And we can’t expand the number of spaces.”

Van Voorhees also suggested that additional 15-minute spots be added along Main Street to accommodate shoppers who just need to pick up a pizza or a bottle of wine, or an order that was placed ahead of time, as many of these patrons are some of the village’s 2,000 residents.

This, she said, would provide for people who live in Philipstown and currently “feel like outsiders on their own main street.”

Deputy Mayor Tweeps Phillips Woods acknowledged that while some people are ticketed because they made an honest mistake, others just risk it.

“I’ve seen people look at the sign and park anyway, and for that I say, enjoy your ticket,” she said. “I’ve also seen people wonder… the arrow is sort of facing awkwardly so it’s not clear if that includes the space… There’s definitely room for us to work on that.”

Foley noted that between signage and ParkMobile and other online apps, people should expect to have to pay for parking in dense areas. “We can put up all sorts of signs, (but) we can’t make people read them,” she said. “People are going to get tickets because they either don’t see, or they choose not to see.”

Trustee Andrew Hall said any comparison to other municipalities needs to consider the various levels of fines, how much parking is available there, the increase for multiple offenses, and myriad other factors.

“Contextualizing it within the operation of the village,” he told the chamber. “The village’s annual budget is $4 million… Looking at the reality of the finances of the village, the needs that it has to meet, and the parking fees from the non-taxpaying portion of the budget… That’s important to us, so that needs to be balanced against the needs that you have and you represent.”

Larson said she and other merchants hear customers who have been ticketed say they’re never returning to Cold Spring ever again.

“I think it’s the spirt that’s off,” added van Voorhees. “If we think someone is just willing themselves not to read a sign or thinking they can just park for however long and not get a ticket, (instead) we can honestly think these people are good people who are happy to shop whether they are part of the community or visiting and they messed up, and that’s the person getting a $75 punitive ticket, and it feels so bad.”

While it’s understood that paid parking and fines are revenue the village relies on, she said it shouldn’t be a variable in determining the rate of the parking fee.

“I hope you will all consider that feeling, because this is something we hear over and over and over: ‘It feels unwelcome.’ And it does,” said Larson. “Seventy-five dollars feels unwelcome… it feels like we don’t want you here.”

Discussion is expected to continue on the matter.