The Hoboken City Council voted in favor of raising parking fees and increasing metered permit costs, among other things, up for first reading at last night’s meeting.
By John Heinis/Hudson County View
“I have two daughters, we’ve lived in this town our whole lives, and unfortunately, we need the cars. We need the spaces out there. So the fees for $100 for the first [car per household], $200 for the second, and $300 for each additional, I think that’s insane,” resident Timothy O’Connor said during his remarks to the council.
“I don’t know how many of you that are children that are driving and live and home … that cost is just astronomical. Jersey City: 15 to 25 dollars a year. Bayonne, North Bergen, they’re all within an affordable range, 10 to 25 dollars a year – Secaucus is free … Please help me make it make sense.”
The five ordinances up for introduction were approved 6-3, with 1st Ward Councilman Paul Presinzano, 2nd Ward Councilwoman Tiffanie Fisher, and 3rd Ward Councilman Mike Russo voting no.
While the council does not weigh in during first reading of ordinances, Russo and Presinzano had a lot to say during new business.
” … We are currently looking at a 24 percent tax increase. We’ve been sugar coating it and calling it 20: Imagine that. We’re sugar coating it at 20 … We increased meter fees for our residents, we increased meter fees for our visitors, we increased fines for our residents, we increased fines for our visitors, we increased fees for temporary no parking permits,” Russo stated.
” … We’ve increased the parking fees at astronomical levels for our residents. Astronomical levels! We always want to compare ourselves to everyone else in Hudson County, but not here! I like the Secaucus model: Free for our residents! Free for our residents! Those are the things that we need to do to make Hoboken more affordable!”
Just before the meeting closed a little before 10 p.m., Presinzano said he wanted to address the proposed fees, given that Hoboken’s business district in the 1st Ward are “gonna get walloped” by tickets if this all moves forward, which will also close businesses.
He also noted that of the roughly 2,600 Hoboken budget survey respondents, about 1,800 are homeowners and 800 are renters, further stating that they were split about 50/50 on how to deal with parking, with many undecideds.
” … These are hidden taxes, I don’t care what the administration is gonna tell me, these are hidden taxes when we go after fees before we even have a budget of what’s been cut. We haven’t had a budget and we’re already raising fees. And we haven’t talked to the stakeholders,” Presinzano exclaimed.
“Based on what stakeholders told us in the survey, 50 [percent] want it, and 50 [percent] don’t. That means this isn’t a good thing to do. We’re trying to plug a hole in a wall that’s holding back a flood of water and I feel like we’re that old cartoon, where I think it’s Tom and Jerry, and he’s got his finger going here, his finger going here, his toe going here: I think of that image that we’re just trying to plug a hole for this year.”
He also expressed frustration that raising parking fees was being done, given that the prior administration did it several times over eight years, declaring that it should be phased in slowly over time, noting that the cost of living has skyrocketed in recent years.
Presinzano also called on the administration to take executive action immediately, regardless if the council decides to approve “regressive” taxes like parking fees.
” … Really, my colleagues up here, I need you guys to dig deep, I’m echoing what Councilman Russo said, that before you just vote yes to go and plug a hole in a budget, think about the implication to the people here,” he continued.
He also chided that Hoboken dog owners will soon have to pay a meter fee to use the dog parks if this line of thinking continues going forward.
If Hoboken actually ticketed all violations (ironstate, urban market and more who violate garbage laws). And the ones that violate parking, ie double parking at 15th and Shipyard, while not giving outrageous breaks to developers (Bhalla we are so glad you are gone), we might not be in this mess.
This is outrageous. We pay taxes to maintain the roads where we will now pay $100 per year or more to park our cars. It makes no sense at all, and only shows how out of touch these politicians are. They can get away with it because we have a high turnover of residents, the long term ones are the ones that get hurt most.
You have it completely wrong. What’s actually outrageous is that it will now cost residents only $10/month to park. The new rate should be much higher, $350 or $500 per year at minimum, not $120. The reason parking is so terrible in town is because it’s so cheap for residents to keep a car here. What garage charges $10/month? None. Some people need cars, MANY people in town don’t, and rarely use them.
The reality is that Hoboken has never been an easy place to park and it has been made more difficult by the doubling of our population and concurrent reduction in the number of on street parking spots. Our expansion was poorly conceived and largely driven by developer interests, not those of long term residents.
The city has also gone on a spending binge over the past 10 years, much of it driven by patronage rather than population growth. Resaonable budget and tax growth does not cover these costs — again due to poor planning. Like many New Jersey municipalities – we thought Covid funding would go on forever….
Very well said.