Resident Permit Parking Fee Increase

We all knew a resident permit fee increase was coming with the new deck, but looks like it is now official, according to these documents from a recent public forum.

http://www.southorange.org/notices.asp?guid=ee762a31

Given that the new parking deck is one reason for the increases, any idea as to the costs? It seems like a huge increase for the very marginal gain for both commuters and the town.

The presentation deck seems strangely inconsistent:

On slide 3 - An autonomous agency not legally affiliated with the Village of South Orange

Also on slide 3 - Five Commissioners appointed by the Board of Trustees for an initial period of 5 years and eligible for unlimited re-appointment

bog said:
Given that the new parking deck is one reason for the increases, any idea as to the costs? It seems like a huge increase for the very marginal gain for both commuters and the town.

I had posted the following back in 2013:

the following language in the Redevelopment Agreement:
Rates for the Public Parking Spaces will be regulated by the Township, but the fees for the use of the Public
Parking Spaces will be set at a rate that will be sufficient to, along with any other funds paid by
the Township or the Township Parking Authority, fund all garage operating expenses allocable
to the Public Parking Spaces including, but not limited to, reasonable reserves, capital
improvements, repairs and replacements, taxes, service charges and payments in lieu of taxes all as set forth in the Parking Agreement.

When I inquired about this estimated fee, I was told they generally estimate about $500/space. Currently, commuters pay about $300/year. It remains an open question how much of that fee the Parking Authority would pass on per space.

That's quite a hike for residents, but it still seems reasonable. It's half of what I paid 6 years ago in an equivalent suburb of DC.

If you read the whole deck, some of the increase seems to be due to the new (and more expensive to operate) garage, and some seems to be due to the increasing commitment to the jitney system as grant money for it dwindles, as tends to happen over time.

The presentation also showed plans to try to expand the jitney system a bit to serve the two sections of town that are over 0.5 miles from the station and not currently served by the jitney system. As a resident of one of those areas, I roundly applaud that plan.

It is a big increase, but from a rate that has been a serious bargain.

Where is the transparency here? Notice on the Village calendar was only "Parking Authority Forum". There was no agenda posted. There was no notification that the rates would be proposed to be raised by 50% to over 100%. If commuters knew this in advance of the meeting, I would guess that more of them would have attended and made their opinions known.

Whether or not the current or projected prices are fair or reasonable is not the point. This meeting and its agenda should have been well publicized so that all interested parties could have attended and spoken their minds.

There was food there, too! I saw numerous sandwich boards in town announcing and promoting the meeting.

Election season is over so we are back to business as usual.

Steve said:
There was food there, too! I saw numerous sandwich boards in town announcing and promoting the meeting.

I saw the sandwich boards as well. I saw one in the train station and one by the NJ Transit parking lot.

Steve said:
There was food there, too! I saw numerous sandwich boards in town announcing and promoting the meeting.

Great for people who walk downtown regularly and read the sandwich boards. But no mention on the Village web site or here on MOL.

I passed them daily if I went from the train tracks towards the commuter parking locations in town.

Rob_Sandow said:

Steve said:
There was food there, too! I saw numerous sandwich boards in town announcing and promoting the meeting.

Great for people who walk downtown regularly and read the sandwich boards. But no mention on the Village web site or here on MOL.

Seems like people who buy parking permits are going to be walking downtown regularly.

Here we are in the 21st Century using sandwich boards for governmental announcements.

I can't wait until we upgrade to a Town Crier.

I love a good conspiracy theory, but the meeting was posted on Page 2 of the latest Gaslight:

http://www.southorange.org/Gaslight/2015/MayJune2015Gaslight.pdf

They put flyers on the windows of cars parked in commuter spots regarding the temporary use of the lot at SPA and Church. The should do the same for parking authority meeting.

Michael: All of the comments from persons who knew about the meeting stated that they saw sandwich boards. If most people use electronic media for communication, then that must be factored in. "Conspiracy" is a harsh term. I would use better phrasing.

Sorry, truth. My comment wasn't directed at you specifically.

I can say for sure that I did not notice any sandwich boards walking between the Waterlands driveway parking area and the train entrance at 2nd and Sloan. I guess I missed the notice in the Gaslight, but it also didn't say anything about proposed rate hikes.

I don't mean to drag this on, but the headline posted on the Village web site says the presentation was "well received" by all of those in attendance. In that case, I can't imagine that there were many annual commuter parking customers in attendance, because a 133% increase, from $300 to $700 was proposed. It's not likely that many permit holders would receive that news very well.

I suspect that most of those in attendance were the five commissioners.

We've been Gasliighted! No, but seriously, I walk to the train so this is less of an issue to me than the NJT fare increase. However, it's a big jump! I'd be pissed...

michaelgoldberg said:
I love a good conspiracy theory, but the meeting was posted on Page 2 of the latest Gaslight:




http://www.southorange.org/Gaslight/2015/MayJune2015Gaslight.pdf

Sorry, Rob. There was a sandwich board just to one's right as you came out of the tunnel on the westbound train. Had I not seen it, I likely would have tripped over it given its location.

I have heard, though I did not receive one myself as I do not have a permit, that emails were sent to all commuters who have registered email address. Can anyone verify this?

Steve said:
Sorry, Rob. There was a sandwich board just to one's right as you came out of the tunnel on the westbound train. Had I not seen it, I likely would have tripped over it given its location.

I said I didn't notice any, not that there weren't any. In any case, would a notice on the web site and/or MOL have been too much to ask?

To LL's point, I have a parking permit and a jitney pass. My email address is on file and I did not receive any email.

The public notice could have been better, and should have indicated that major rate hikes were on the agenda. That's all I am saying.

Fair enough. The hikes are a bit much to swallow. Those are also preliminary numbers and, I don't think, set in stone.

The hikes have not yet been formally approved by the SOPA. The next SOPA meeting is at 7:15 pm, July 21, at 76 South Orange Ave.

Below is the Q and A that is posted on the Village website. The explanation of the hikes is included in the Q and A.

http://southorange.no-ip.org/WebLink8/DocView.aspx?id=138093&dbid=0