The Town of North Hempstead (TONH) and the Port Washington Parking District are about to take advantage of the commuting tax paying residents of Port Washington. This week the TONH voted to increase the parking fees to our commuter lots. They have also agreed to implement a new pay-for-parking system that, in my opinion, will be poorly implemented, costly and burdensome on the users (the legal parking public).
Beginning this May, the Parking District will implement a license plate reader system to scan the parking lots for properly registered vehicles and properly paid parking fees. I have been told by the employees of the Parking District that all parking fees and vehicle registration will occur online through a website. The website may be an easy portal for a vehicle registration and the payment of an annual parking permit, but not an easy procedure for a daily parking customer. I am told there is no app for our phones nor a kiosk at the LIRR ticket booth. Must we all wake up early to access this web portal just to park in a parking space that we have paid taxes to create and support?
If this new system is so technologically advanced, shouldn’t we be able to register multiple vehicles under one annual parking permit? I know of many families that have multiple vehicles registered with the Parking District, yet only one vehicle is ever parked in a commuter lot. If on the rare day more than one family vehicle is parked in the lot, then the smart program should see an annual permit and a daily permit on file for the day and, if not, then fine the second vehicle.
I have also learned today from a Parking District employee that any unused daily vouchers or monthly permits will become invalid as of May 31, 2016, and no refunds will be provided. We have not been informed of this until very recently. In the interest of time and convenience, I have always purchased multiple daily voucher books at once. Not until today was I informed of this voucher expiration. I also want to note that there is no posting in the Parking District office or on their website at www.northhemp steadny.gov/portparking indicating that any unused vouchers will become obsolete and that no refunds will be provided for unused vouchers. Should our Parking District and our Town be entitled to a windfall of prepaid parking fees, with their “no refund policy” instituted because of the implementation of the new system?
I ask the Town and the Parking District to publicly disclose the implementation and ongoing costs of this new system and to compare it to the current system. The tax-paying residents of the Port Washington Parking District deserve to see these numbers published in our local paper, supporting the decision to move to this new system. We want to see that the District costs will be substantially reduced. With a license plate reader, automation and online sales, I assume the District will layoff several longtime and dedicated workers, saving our District their salaries and costly benefits. Yet, without a substantial reduction in costs, can we justify these layoffs and the subsequent costs associated with the layoffs?
In theory, the new system should benefit the community; however, it seems as if the product chosen falls short and certainly doesn’t justify the doubling of so many of the fees associated with a supporting taxpayer parking in a commuter parking lot. We go to work each day in an effort to earn a good and fair living that allows us the opportunity to live in our wonderful community. Why are we taxed (taxes and fees) significantly more than most other communities for the privilege of parking in our lots?
—Matthew Wilkoff
