Hoboken City Council mulls raising parking sticker prices to $300 a year

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During the public portion of yesterday’s Hoboken City Council meeting, one resident implored officials to raise residential parking fees, not only to increase revenue for the city, but to create more parking spaces.

[fve]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2QIg4-AXPI4&feature=youtu.be[/fve]

The resident, Fund for a Better Waterfront President James Vance, walked up to the microphone to emphatically say that the city has a major parking problem, specifically “giving away parking stickers.”

“We have a parking problem, we have all these problems, including giving away parking stickers at $15 per year. Those parking spaces out there are commodities. If you want to park in a parking garage, you have to pay for it. But instead we’re giving them away,” Vance told the council.

“If we were to raise parking sticker prices to, say, $300 per year, that would be more than $1 million in income and, more importantly, it would reduce the demand for parking spaces.”

Some members of the audience rapturously clapped and applauded after hearing the idea that the city should substantially raise parking sticker fees from $15 to $300 per year.

But not everyone on the City Council was receptive to the idea.

3rd Ward Councilman Michael Russo said that he wanted to go on record that he adamantly opposes the idea of raising prices for yet another service and increasing the financial burden on Hoboken residents, and even believes it should be free.

“I’ve put it on record many times. I absolutely disagree with the last speaker. I think the parking permit in the city of Hoboken should be absolutely free. We pay enough in taxes,” Russo exclaimed.

“And as the previous speaker said, specifically, the streets belong to all of us. So why should it be that only those who decide to park on the street, would pay for those streets? I think they should be free, and incorporated into the tax code.”

But before Russo could finish speaking, Council Vice President Peter Cunningham was quick to reinforce Vance’s argument that the city has a serious parking problem and should be raising residential parking permit fees substantially.

“I’m actually very much in favor of a very large increase in the cost of a residential parking sticker. At $15 per sticker [when] we have a parking problem in this town and not everybody that owns in Hoboken pays taxes. There are a lot of people in Hoboken coming and going and [only] renting,” said Cunningham.

He then mentioned that the City hired a consultant for the sole purpose of trying to figure out how to improve parking spaces in the city, noting that the consultant said it was “ridiculous” that the city is only charging $15 for parking stickers.

In response, Council President Jen Giattino said that Cunningham was being too kind in paraphrasing the consultant’s words.

The council did not take any formal action on the matter at last night’s meeting.


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8 COMMENTS

  1. Give Cunningham a dunce cap for saying renters don’t pay taxes. Also, Cunningham does not care what the rate is as he illegally parks regularly without any consequences.

  2. As usual Councilman Cunningham and Councilwoman Giatinno sound like the social snobs and misfits that they are. Talking about renters as if they are second class citizens is absurd. Without renters, most of the tax paying properties in Hoboken would go bankrupt. Maybe Councilman Cunningham should permanently relocate to the Bay Head Yacht Club where he is more comfortable and Tea Party Jen can find herself a comfortable spot in a more friendly red state where there are fewer parking issue caused by the riff raff renters. Idiots!

  3. Parking fees to $300.00? what in the world! is that person rich to be able to afford that? I vote NO to raise Residential sticker price. The city should check cars that do not have a Residential sticker and who do not live in Hoboken and take all legal Residents their parking spaces who have Residential stickers and make it hard to find a parking spot to park. also the 4 hr parking for none residents who do not have stickers get a ticket.For parking overnight…

  4. It’s interesting how every “Hoboken resident” will suddenly have $300 to pay for parking. It is as if this entire city easily forgets about those who live below the poverty line and are struggling to even save up $300 a year. Or those who are teetering on the poverty line and with a $300 increase a year just to park in spots that they have probably parked in their entire lives – it is ridiculous to assume this entire city is not struggling. This speaker must be new to Hoboken and must favor his wealth over his morality.

    The wage gap in Hoboken is ridiculous enough as it is, a $300 fee for a sticker can make a Mother decide whether she will feed her kid, pay her rent, or something as simple as park her car.

    Hoboken has money, I’ve seen the community come together so why are we fighting for another million in revenue of the money most have put forward is in Dawn Zimmer’s pockets? Corruption has not changed in this town, discrimination has not faltered in this town, and more than anything ignorance still holds a voice in Hoboken.

  5. Have these people lost their minds?!?! $15 to $300?!? Sorry I own and I agree I pay enough taxes for this town, and I need that parking spot to get to work everyday. The nerve of these people.

  6. Hoboken should raise the parking permit price. Most cars sit on the street for days at a time, until they are moved for street sweeping. A parking garage costs upwards of $300/month so $300/year for street parking is a bargain. (less than $1/day). I’m sure something could be worked out to help people who cannot afford it, but most people in Hoboken can, and if having a car is that important to them, they’ll pay it.

  7. So Chris, if as you say “most people will pay it”, then raising the fee to $300.00 will not help reduce the number of cars on the streets but, rather, will give City Hall and Zimmer another $6 million to squander. The politicians get enough of our money to waste. Let’s not give them any more.

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