On the Agenda: Paid Parking Vote Possible

Village Board members may decide to roll back a new policy that extended metered parking until midnight – from its former 10 p.m. deadline – at Monday night's board meeting.

The extension, which was voted at a February board meeting, has been hotly contested by members of the business community, saying the measure – which would make paid parking in Port Jefferson the latest on Long Island – would put businesses at a competitive disadvantage with other areas.

Village Board members discussed the issue last Monday at a work session, opting to speak with members of the Parking Committee, which had suggested the measure, before deciding whether or not to roll back the new midnight deadline – which went into effect on March 15 for the 2013 season.

Parking Committee members suggested the later hours for metered parking as a way to combat limited parking spots in the village during busy summer nighttime hours. 

Two public hearings are scheduled as well:

• To allow for a flexible procedure whereby times and procedures may be changed from time to time in the future, and to further make all Code provisions pertaining to metered parking areas consistent to Section 245-63 Schedule XV of the Village Code.
• Tax Cap Local Law - 
  • According to Village Clerk Bob Juliano, the Village Board must hold a public hearing before voting on piercing the state-mandated tax levy cap. While it remains unclear whether what the village tax levy will be, Village Treasurer Don Pearce said last week he foresees a "revenue problem" in next year's village budget.

Monday's meeting starts at 7 p.m. The agenda is attached as a PDF.