The Fate of Montclair’s Free Holiday Parking Meters

1. (Am I the only idiot who always has a roll of quarters in his car for parking?)

   To hell with it!! We need cash!

   But to go with this “holiday” spirit, how about the members of the Town Council stand around the business districts with a bell and bin with the Montclair Township seal and just BEG for money?

2. As a local independent business owner, CROOKHORNS MENSWEAR, I think it is a great idea, and should be done for the month of December

3. I understand that the “spirit of the season” might be dampened by pumping three or four quarters and a dime or two into a meter, but how is it then not dampened by handing over a Visa or a couple of twenties for what you’re buying or eating?

   This (very loosely) reminds me of the uproar about earmarks; they are a tiny expense compared to the entire budget, but they pique our interest because they are easier to digest.

4. is this a joke?

   They’re already talking another (at least) 5% tax increase next year. We should NOT bag the meters.

   Also we should CANCEL the million dollar park street beautification project which is inexplicably still being planned.

5. “This (very loosely) reminds me of the uproar about earmarks; they are a tiny expense compared to the entire budget, but they pique our interest because they are easier to digest.”

   Rather like tossing stuff into Boston Harbor over a relatively small thing such as tax on Tea.

6. Let’s get real here. The Parking Authority is contractually responsible for turning over a certain amount of $ each year. To date, it owes the township around $850,000 in revenues. When council was asked about this, reply was that they “don’t owe the township the money, they just collected less money due to the economic downturn.” Is that doublespeak, or did I have a stroke?
   So, MPA won’t “lose” $50,000 by bagging the meters…they just won’t take in as much money as planned. Peace and goodwill to all.

7. “they just collected less money due to the economic downturn.” Is that doublespeak, or did I have a stroke?”

   Do you smell burnt toast? It doesn’t sound like double speak to me.

   Im not sure where the notion that the Parking Authority was going to make a lot of profit for the township. By law these authorities are independent non-profit entities. The very purpose of these entities is to make the parking infrastructure self-sufficient. So any “profit” is supposed to be plowed back into the parking infrastructure.

   Not that I think the PA is a good idea. I think it should be dismantled for accountability reasons alone.

   But I remain unconvinced there’s a lot of profit in the parking business around here. If there were I think we’d see more commercial lots.

8. RoC,

   I was actually comparing the expense of parking at a meter (small) to the expense of shopping for gifts and eating at a restaurant (large). It went with the comment above it. If someone can’t afford 75 cents to park for 90 minutes, I don’t think they’ll be shopping at JKA or eating at Market.

9. Bah Humbug!

10. I agree Schooled.

11. ROC,

    There is a CONTRACTUAL agreement between the Parking Authority and the Town which calls for them turning over THREE streams of revenue. One is payment on their substantial debt, two is a “fixed” payment which I believe was to be $1.4MM, and the third was a share of the “profit.”

    They’ve never made number three, and number two has been much lower than anticipated.

    We’re in the process of doing a study of the MPA, by an independent (and free) consultant.

    What I would like is a written explanation of why the original plan didn’t work, and what the plan is moving forward. To keep taking less and less money is not the solution.

    Cary Africk
    2nd Ward Councilor

12. “We’re in the process of doing a study of the MPA…”

    Too bad the “Study” didn’t happen BEFORE the creation of the PA, huh? We don’t need a study. Dismantle it ASAP simply because the township is forced to “ask” for accountability. That’s basis enough.

    Don’t get too excited though. I highly doubt there is much (or any) profit to “get” Cary.

    So Cary are you going to work to kill the Park Street Beautification project?

    (don’t hold your breath for an answer on that one folks)

13. This is what councilor Lewis is saying on Patch (the favorite site of 4 out of 5 Patch contributors!)

    “A tax increase of 2 percent or less looks like a pipe dream,” he said. “I hope we can keep the municipal tax increase under 5 percent, but I wouldn’t bet on it.”

    And we have a million for the Park Street Pedestrian Mall?

14. I nominate Cary to work the “Save Montclair From Itself” bell and bin on the Northwest corner of Park and Bloomfield– right outside “Hip Chic”. (In the past, I would suggest he dress as Santa Claus but I wouldn’t want to offend anyone who would find this as the State “favoring” one religion over another…)

15. What do the members of the Parking Authority earn in terms of salary and benefits? I’ll bet it’s huge. I’ll quit my job and collect money from the meters and issues parking passes for 10% of the take. How’s that? The fact that the council believes 5% a year increases are just fine and dandy is just beyond belief. Here’s a clue…it’s really not. Let’s aim for zero for a few years. There’s no more money. Homeowners cannot keep bailing them out for failing to figure out how to manage the town in a fiscally responsible manner. And if I hear “this is the best place to live in America” one more time, my head is going to explode.

16. Fairly simple: I can go to Montclair and feed the meters to shop, or I can go to stores that have free parking, the internet, or shop in towns that bag the meters during the holiday. Plan A doesn’t seem such a good idea…

    I think the original idea of parking meters was to keep people from inhabiting a parking space all day, thereby limiting the number of people who can even visit a neighborhood with the intent of shopping. The cost of feeding the meters comes in to make them self-sustainable. This is beginning to sound like the pretzel logic for installing the multi-million dollar EZ Pass system: fines on violators will pay for the system. Uh, huh, and that red sleigh is up on your roof again… Why don’t we rip all the meters out and reassign meter men/maids to chalking tires of parked cars, coming back in two hours and ticketing the ones who haven’t moved? Those violations should sustain the cost of the meterpersons, yes?

17. Property taxes and parking authority accountability aside, from the looks of downtown vacancies it would seem that local businesses need all the help they can get. The cost is chump change — I would guess that Montclair’s problem has more to do with employee related costs — pension obligations,
    health insurance premiums, binding contractual salary increases, etc., than
    the loss of a bunch of quarters.

18. Conan, there are new meters in Upper Montclair Plaza. Muni-meters. One at either end.
    I wonder what those cost. Where’s my checkbook….maybe I can send the town some more money for more nonsense.

19. The parking meters should accept Hanukah gelt.

20. So for the few weeks the meters a bagged I bet it’s lots of card playing down at the metermaid HQ.

21. My favorite Parking Authority initiative are the cameras in the multi-tier Church Street lot. They have signs to alert you (and potential bad guys) that they are not monitored. I am not clear as to what role the cameras play in safety and security.

22. “The fact that the council believes 5% a year increases are just fine and dandy is just beyond belief. ”

    5% if were lucky.

    Lewis: “I hope we can keep the municipal tax increase under 5 percent, but I wouldn’t bet on it.”

    We’ve got to pay for Cary’s Park Street Project.

23. Am I understanding this correctly – they aren’t going to bag the meters to let the public know that parking is free for the holidays, but they also won’t be ticketing people who don’t pay?

    So they are basically expecting that only 6-7% of the population that normally uses these meters during that 2 wk period to have heard the news that they won’t be ticketing. I’m sure they are basing this on the 6-7% of people who are being ticketed during periods when meters aren’t free, but if you announce publicly that the plan is to not ticket at all during those 2 wks, people will find out… Now you’re talking at least 30% of locals, if not more once the news is spread by word-of-mouth, will not be paying for parking. The money “lost” would be a lot greater than anticipated.

    I’m in favor of them deciding whether they’ll make more money by having PA staff out ticketing or just by letting it go for those 2 wks. Something tells me the staff cost is higher than the revenue generated. I don’t think we need free parking, though. I’m fine with dropping a quarter in the meter when I shop.

24. Remarkable. At the time of the budget approval nonsense, I sent Lewis (and all the council members) an email imploring them to say no to the 2010 budget until number could be worked out for 2011 that would not put taxpayers in the same position next year. His response was beyond defensive – accused me of thinking he doesn’t care, because of course he loses sleep too – and then followed with all the reasons our revenues are down. Not ONCE in his email did he acknowledge that perhaps the council could, and should, address the loss in revenues with matching budget cuts. It was a very very telling response. Sort of “how dare you accuse me of not caring, I lose sleep too…blah blah….and this is why we have to raise taxes ….trenton….tax appeals…blah blah”. It’s surreal.

25. Oh…and FYI, I did not accuse him of not caring. I simply stated, as a taxpayer, my point of view regarding the 2011 budget. They really do think they are doing a great job.

26. ” “The idea is to not enforce parking restrictions in the commercial zones. ”

    Is that what that means?

    Were going to selectively enforce laws in “zones” without notice or demarcation? Utterly stupid. Is that even legal?

27. JG,

    If members of the Fried 3 put a quarter in the town coffers every time they either claimed to be doing the best they can, or blamed Trenton for our losses in revenue, it would probably add up to the $50,000 they expect to lose in revenue by bagging the meters.

    Cary…how goes the police pursuit (I just had to use that word) through imminent domain of the dealer’s parking lot so our officers can avoid walking a block? Even with the upcoming reduction to the police force (necessitated by Trenton of course), I assume those who claim to be doing the best they can are still hell bent on wasting more of our tax dollars on luxuries instead of needs.

28. “Cary…how goes the police pursuit (I just had to use that word) through imminent domain of the dealer’s parking lot so our officers can avoid walking a block?”
    I thought that issue was off the table. Is it not?
    We should be having ZERO capital expenditures until we get the budget down and pay off most of our debt.

29. If it is, I missed it.

30. I believe the skate park is also still in some sort of “play” (as it were).

    The message has clearly not yet been received.

31. I’ve been in and out of town with family illness (about to be out, again) but I’m trying to keep track of things.

    Police Parking Lot doesn’t seem to have a lot of support at this time. Who knows re. the skate park, but it was always planned to use no town funds, though some were unwilling to say that they town wouldn’t give property.

    We’re trying to figure out how (or if) to tackle the South Park “opportunity (I put that in just for you, ROC), with the possibility of SIGNIFICAT State, business, and town contributions. And although you hate to hear it, ROC, we really need to get our arms around ALL the capital spending. The BOE gave the Capital Finance Committee a 57 page report on every penny they approved, what it was for, how much of the borrowings, were spent, etc. We do not have such a report for the town. Meanwhile that Committee is still trying to set up a meeting with Town Administration.

32. “Police Parking Lot doesn’t seem to have a lot of support at this time. Who knows re. the skate park, but it was always planned to use no town funds, though some were unwilling to say that they town wouldn’t give property.

    We’re trying to figure out how (or if) to tackle the South Park “opportunity (I put that in just for you, ROC), with the possibility of SIGNIFICAT State, business, and town contributions.”

    Doesn’t sound like “no” to me.

    And there you have it folks. We can say “no” to zero growth without a doubt but all this other stuff? Not so much.

    In my opinion Cary, you should propose an ordinance at the next council that there will be NO capital improvement spending (only maintenance) for 2011, period. No $71,000 for architectural studies (like you vote for Cary), no pre planning, no RFP’s, nothing for capital improvements. Less than that and you are part of the problem not the solution. Certainly less problem than your fellows, I’ll give you that, but not on the solution side of the fence.

    If you really want a good idea, the ordinance should say no capital improvements until the township has met the caps for 3 years in a row. You guys are like 20-somethings that don’t pay their bills. Show me you can live within your means for awhile and THEN I’ll trust you with my credit card again.

33. p.s.

    Did the BOE report list the 35 million dollar school we didn’t need since we’re considering closing two other schools?

34. “Meanwhile that Committee is still trying to set up a meeting with Town Administration.”

    It will be interesting to see if Roger Terry, now having seen the light, will still claim their numbers to be ‘funny’.

    BTW Cary,

    We just put in another bid on a house in a neighboring town. We’ll still pay taxes to Montclair, since it does not make sense for us to sell our multi-family (tax break) home in Montclair which should somehow stay close to breaking even (for now). Though, we don’t know how much longer we can keep transferring the tax increases on to our tenants. Eventually, they too will leave for better services at a lower cost.

    I have been following the motions at the BOE and with the town council in regards to their respective 2011 budgets. It’s painfully obvious that Montclair is not attempting to make cuts. The strategy seems mostly to be converting what was formerly paid for in taxes as new fees. I really didn’t expect those who need to reduce their pay and benefits to actually suggest cutting their pay and benefits. And since there is no other way to make these changes. Well sayonara.

35. Is this for the fancy, expensive wayfinding carpet?

    https://www.northjersey.com/news/109218639_Main_Library_to_Close_for_Carpet_Replacement.html

36. 25 cents for twenty minutes of parking, or whatever it is, is annoying. No, it’s not going to break anyone’s bank, but when you’re running around during the holidays with your hair on fire doing all sorts of impromptu errands, it does make it easier and a lot more pleasant to shop in town when you don’t have to sprint back to refill the meter. I don’t have any empirical proof, but I’m sure the merchants benefit, at least they get more business from me. And, if I got a ticket because I was too busy shopping to be obsessing over the meter, I’d be so livid that I’d probably just go to the Mall next time.

37. Is this for the fancy, expensive wayfinding carpet?

    _________________________________________________________________

    I wonder if they will change the sign outside? Closed due to Carpet replacement?

38. njgator,

    I do believe the closing of the main branch is due to the installation of “way finding” carpeting. I think that carpeting cost in the neighborhood of $175K or so.

    Capital spending in Montclair is big. Has been for years. I’d say it’s in the order of $8MM or so, total for school and town, annually (not counting the new school). Lots of projects in the schools, but you can see those reports easily. Lots of roof repairs, leaky windows, and the like. Auditorium repairs are a fortune. Then there’s the technology upgrades.

    For the town it’s streets, primarily, and other infrastructure (water and sewer). Lots of vehicle repairs. Very hard to track the spending — I’m working on it (trying very hard).

    Our big problem is the operating budget, not the capital budget, although our debt payments are far from trivial.

    The BOE efforts are good. They are aiming at either 0 or 2%. And given that certified pensions (teachers) are paid for by the state, and they have an innovative plan for health, they MEAN 0 or 2%, NOT 0 or 2% PLUS exceptions for health, pensions, and debt like the town is aiming for.

    I think there are some real, significant, cuts planned for the Municipality though — no “sacred cows” — none.

    Cary Africk

39. The difficulty/annoyance of parking in Montclair makes me avoid shopping or dining there if I have a choice. With the exception of the Church St parking garage, there are fewer metered spots today than 15 years ago, as more and more spaces are converted to “permit only”.

    BTW – the street meters I encounter run 75 cents for 60 minutes, not 90.

40. Cary,

    I park and walk the little prof a block to school everyday and ALWAYS see folks breaking every manner of driving law. (At least 3 times a week I see some parent speeding through a red light just to get their kid to school on time- and I’m sure Northeast isn’t the only school that this is true…)

    I’ve said this before, I would LOVE IT if Montclair became one of those communities that gave out motor vehicle tickets ALL THE TIME. Additionally, the west wing of my palatial estate abuts a busy road and I can sit in my library and see SPEEDING cars.

    Now, I know it won’t be that much, but if the Town worked harder at getting police, cameras, etc. out, you may find a bit of gold in that pot.

    AND a safer community. Likewise the crosswalks in Town.

41. Prof,

    I totally agree with you. This has come up in discussions with the MPD, and the answer is always “staffing.”

    What they’ve said is “crime takes precedence.” And that includes property crime, i.e. thefts, etc.

    I would also LOVE it for MPD to become much more aggressive in ticketing, especially for moving violations including failure to yield in crosswalks.

    I’m afraid that if the police budget is cut, as becomes more likely, and personnel have to be laid off, it will result in less traffic enforcement (as well as slower response to property crime). But that’s just my “educated” opinion, and not policy, such policy having to come from the Manager and MPD.

    Cary Africk

42. Understood.

    Then let’s deputize some folks OR get camera! Oh, wait. Cameras cost money.

    And we ain’t gone none. Speed away folks!

43. Ask for donations. Prof, you could take up a collection from your neighbors in UPPER montclair to put a camera on your golden street in Jersey’s version of valhalla. Actually, make it an investment. Let people buy cameras and promise a piece of the revenue once they’re paid off with additional revenue to Little Prof’s school. Keep it local.

    Street cameras as school fundraisers.

44. As an out of towner,I like visiting
    CASPA (Church & S. Park Area)
    PAWA (Park & Watchung Area)
    VRABA (Valley Road & Bellvue Area)
    Who cares about free parking, just decorate the shops and streets and pipe in some Holiday music. We will come to eat,shop & stroll.

45. Think outside the mall.

46. Hey, I proposed bounty hunters. I thought we could make an offer to law enforcement officers not from Montclair who on their days off could come to Monclair and ticket for moving violations. Apparently this is illegal, but the concept sounded good to me! It worked in the 1860’s!

    Traffic cameras to catch speeders, or people who hop red lights is also a no no.

    My one suggestion was a “Bulky Waste by Appointment” service where the town would charge to pick up the “bigger” bulky waste that residents are now paying services anywhere from $75 to $750 to do. Actually, it was well thought out, could bring in revenue, give residents a “good deal,” solve scheduling problems with our Department of Community Services, etc., etc. You know, one of those actually good ideas that no one wants? In this case, the proposal was nixed for several reasons: 1. Only rich people produce bulky waste and we don’t like rich people, 2. It would remove the opportunity for those who regularly cruise the streets the night before bulky waste to “recycle” otherwise thrown out items, and 3. It wasn’t green. People aren’t supposed to have bulky waste. I guess you’re supposed to compost broken electronic goods that don’t qualify for our electronics recycling efforts.

    Cary

47. Sadly bebopgun, my ENORMOUS tax bill is the only “donation” this town will get from me.

    Because really, if they can’t run it for what they pull in………

48. Then let’s deputize some folks …

    Give me a ticket book and a plastic badge, and I will get the town at least $120 in free revenue per night in overnight parking on my street alone (I’m assuming the fine is around $60 now). I could also write probably 7-10 tickets every Thursday night on Forest St., right under the pretty red “no parking” sign.

    So many scofflaws, so little time!

49. While I’d love to see Dog the Bounty Hunter and his freak show of a family hit the mean streets of Montclair, I’ve a feeling that after one or two run-ins with SUV moms at Northeast or Bradford he’ll scurry back to Honolulu and get back to hauling in murderers and rapists.

50. The PA makes 25k a week in parking?

51. (the prof will only work with a METAL badge!)

    No need for Dog, perhaps we could swing for Steven Seagal (he of A&E’s “Steven Seagal Lawman).

52. Jimmy,

    Now that’s interesting!

    Of course, they only “bag the meters” in the business section of town. But that would still be 52 time $25K or $1.3MM. I would guess, if I had to, that total revenue from the parking authority, including permits, the garages, etc. would be in the order of $3MM.

    In any event, it would be “nice” to know how they arrived at the $50K figure. I’ll call tomorrow.

    Then again, the absence of FACTS seems to define so much of what we do.

    Cary

53. So they collect $3mm and still manage to owe the town $850,000? How is that possible?

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