At least two city councilors are sick of getting parking tickets while trying to conduct business at City Hall.
During Monday night’s council meeting, councilors Enio Lopez and Giovanni Recupero introduced an order requesting the Traffic and Parking Commission issue parking placards to city councilors for spaces at or near City Hall.
“When we come here to do business in our subcommittees, or City Council meeting, or any other kind of business, I actually got a ticket, and I know some other fellow councilors did, too,” said Lopez. “I think it is fair that if we do business here we shouldn’t get a ticket.”
With the parking placards, Lopez said it would be easier for the councilors to conduct business for the city’s residents.
“The parking lot of City Hall by six o’clock is already used by the people of the community, so when we come to a subcommittee or a council meeting we are not able to park,” he said.
Recupero upped the ante on Lopez’s one ticket, and said he has been ticketed many times.
“I was wondering if the president (Roy Avellaneda) got tickets himself,” said Recupero. “He probably did too, there must be a whole bunch of us here who at one time or another must have gotten a ticket.”
Recupero said the councilors come to City Hall to do the work of the people.
“When we come in here, we shouldn’t have to worry about every half hour going down to move our car, or going around the corner and putting money in the meter, because the meters that are two hours or more are always full and there is nowhere to park,” he said. “We should at least have permission to not get tickets when we are in City Hall or around City Hall.”
The council forwarded the ordinance request to the Traffic and Parking Commission.
In other business Monday night, the council approved the appropriation of $225,000 in free cash to help fund the purchase of body cameras for the police department. The council also approved the cost items associated with a new contract with the union representing E-911 supervisors.
The council also approved the appropriation of just over $1 million in free cash for construction activities related to restoring the Quiet Zone near Chelsea train crossings.