Rate hike proposed for gov’t building
Increase on par with Kingston fees in area
KINGSTON, N.Y. » Come September, it could cost more to park at the Ulster County Office Building, but Legislature Chairman Ken Ronk hopes the price hike will make it easier for folks trying to conduct business with the county.
Ronk, R-Wallkill, has proposed raising the parking fee to $1.00 per hour for the first hour and 50 cents for every hour thereafter to a maximum of $5 for the day.
Currently, the county charges 75 cents for the first hour and 35 cents for every hour thereafter to a maximum of $3 for the day.
Ronk said the increase will put the county on par with what the city charges for metered parking on the streets surrounding the County Office Building, and
may discourage people who don’t have business with the county from parking there.
“We’ve got a serious problem with people who are Uptown, have no business with the county, parking in the
county lot,” Ronk said. “Then we have a problem with people not being able to find parking when they come to do county business.”
Ronk said Uptown business employees and patrons park in the lot for hours on end — and in some cases all day — leaving only a handful of the roughly 45 spaces in the lot available for people
who need to conduct county business.
The Department of Motor Vehicles, the County Clerk’s Office, Real Property Tax Services, Legislature, and county Executive’s Office are among the offices located in the County Office Building on 244 Fair St.
“We’re trying to allow
for more in-and-out business with county residents trying to do county business and less with people who park here all day,” Ronk said. “This is the first in a series of attempts to try clear out the county parking lot a little bit for people who are here to do county business.”
Ronk didn’t elaborate on
other steps the county may take.
The increase would put the county on a level playing field with the city, which charges $1.00 an hour for metered parking and aggressively enforces its parking regulations.
“We’re trying to level the playing field a little bit for the people who come here
to do county business,” he said.
The current fee structure in the county lot has been in place since 2003.
The resolution is expected to be considered by legislative committees in the coming days and could be voted on at the Legislature’s monthly meeting on Aug. 14.