New Haven Independent

Posted by: ROBN | May 14, 2009 12:20 PM

I'd rather get booted than towed. At least with the boot, you don't have to scramble to get out to Forbes Ave to pick up your car.

Posted by: heightz | May 14, 2009 12:20 PM

Ben,

you noted alders Shaw, Silverman, and Goldfield. Who were the other three alders who voted in favor? It said the vote was 5-1

Posted by: jawbone | May 14, 2009 2:28 PM

I would argue that it is too easy to get to $100 in fines. You don't have to be a 'scofflaw' to get there.
Say you forget to move your car on street sweeping day and you get a $50 ticket. Then some kid comes down the street and takes your ticket off your car and throws it on the ground and it blows away. 2 or 3 weeks later the ticket doubles and you don't even know you had a ticket in the first place.
You come downstairs one morning, or even better, you park downtown to pick up the kids at preschool (I've seen this one) and you come back to the car with a 3 year old and a 5 year old and your car is booted.
My point is $100 as the booting threshold is too draconian. It will ensnare too many hapless, unsuspecting people who are otherwise rule abiding.
Boy, the City of New Haven must be desparate for cash. Initiatives like this make New Haven a ever increasingly inhospitable place to live and work.
Just so they can afford to pay the exorbinant pensions to characters like the one that just retired in the other NHI article. Welcome to opaque and corrupt New England.

Posted by: ParkStTaxPayer | May 14, 2009 2:34 PM

THIS IS GETTING OUT OF CONTROL!

What about us law-abiding citizens who are contesting our tickets? The boot needs to get THE BOOT!

Seriously, as a 5-year resident of New Haven, measures like these are driving ME to the 'burbs... a place I wasn't thrilled about moving to before, but now I can't wait until May 31!

The mayor needs to stop spending $5,000 on NYC-purchased coat closets and needs to get spending under control!

Posted by: TAX PAYER | May 14, 2009 2:41 PM

THE ONE'S THAT SHOULD GET BOOTED ARE THE NEW HAVEN RESIDENTS THAT REGISTER THEIR VEHILCLES OUT OF STATE. THAT'S WHERE OUR TAX DOLLARS ARE

Posted by: Mark | May 14, 2009 5:32 PM

Tax Yale.

Posted by: STYLENE | May 14, 2009 6:41 PM

HEY JAWBONE. I HEAR YA. I HAD A SIMILAR SITUATION LIKE THAT HAPPEN TO ME. AND THE PARKING AUTHORITY DOES NOT WANT TO HEAR IT. NEW HAVEN COULD BE A GREAT CITY IF WE FIRE THE PEOPLE WHO ARE CALLING THE SHOTS. CLEARLY, THEY DON'T LIVE HERE.

Posted by: Disgusted with NH City Govt. | May 15, 2009 12:44 AM

Has NH City Govt. paid Mrs. Johnson for her time and the aggravation they have put her through X5? Or is it the usual thing that the Govt. and its moronic system can cause all the problems that the system's ineptitude allows because no one has to face any consequences? If Mrs. Johnson had in fact owed any money to NH, and if she had said she had forgotten to pay, no one of those aldermen who are voting to tow away cars for one out-of-state ticket would care that she forgot. However, they made the same mistake 5 X and this woman has to tolerate that!!!

... Start by cleaning out the Dept. of Education; get rid of the slothful pack; hire good teachers; there is $1M in savings right there. Reduce the Mayor's salary by $35K; get rid of the Wooster Street bunch and save another $750K; clean out Orange St., save $250K; that is $2M+ saved already.

More stores will soon close in NH because people do not want to come into a town where they cannot park and have a meal or go to the theater in peace.

Posted by: Brian V | May 15, 2009 10:46 AM

King John has spent all our money wastefully and now his lackeys are going to do whatever it takes to get him more of it. 30% of the new targets DO live in the city and pay taxes. That is 10,000 more New Haven residents added to the target list. Jawbone has it right. 1 ticket not paid in the 2 week grace period (even credit card companies give you 30 days to pay your bill!) and you car is immobilized.
Maybe they will rescind this order when King John raises taxes November 5 and oh yeah
-HE WILL RAISE YOUR TAXES the minute the election is over.

WE NEED NEW A MAYOR!!!!

Posted by: True Story | May 16, 2009 9:40 AM

This is another example of Jonny-water boys and girls in action. Mr. Goldfield- you voted for the mayors plan- dont try to hide from that fact. You like being the mayors top water-boy- he twisted a lot of arms to make you president.

Dont worry- one day- we will have a governement in which alderman- can vote on the side of city residents- instead of supporting a mayor who has not had a good idea in years.

Thanks Alderman Shaw- for speaking the truth- the city has to come up with a new revenue stream.

Living in the city has become- a game of how many times- can the city shake down its residents.

1. One of the highest millage (tax) rates in the state.
2. Aggressive parking ticket writing- either right or wrong.
3. The boot program- targets poor neighborhoods forcing people to go without their car until the next pay period- sometimes 2 weeks (biweekly folks).
4. The city has become the best car jackers in the state. Sometime ago- I was shopping at Shaws and a old couple went into the store for ten or 15 mins and when the came out- their car was gone.

They had to call a cab- which mostly likely costing them a few bucks.

DeStefano is the wrong mayor- for these tough times. This new policy is out of touch with reality- most city residents have to travel outside the city lines to go to work, a movie or dinner.

When you jack their car- you jack their quality of life. What is next- lobbying the state for a city income tax?

Thanks, Johnny waterboys and girls!

Posted by: FacChek | May 17, 2009 11:49 AM

"Westville Alderwoman Ina Silverman said that ultimately the burden of uncollected parking tickets is being absorbed by city taxpayers. She suggested it is time for those with outstanding fines to take responsibility".

Really....

Would you please explain this statement Alderwoman Silverman.. I would like to know how is it that taxpayers were paying for unpaid parking tickets before this proposal.
This is news worthy, since this issue never rose in a finance committee meeting before your comment here. Really...

The vote on this ordinance(5-1)shows the weakness of the power of Chairman SHAH, he could not even muster one other committee member to support his position... How pathetic...

Nevertheless, Shah, I agree with your position.

This is nothing less than another spending gap gimmick which is not proposed in the 09/10 budget.
On the other hand, the 09/10 budget does proposed increases in fine & fees, other than this one.

Yep,
just another back door money grab by the DeStefano administration, while a the same time, proposing relief to taxpayers by delaying the phase-in of increase this year, only to have to double up the phase-in next year(4th,yr.).

Posted by: abg | May 17, 2009 11:44 PM

This is really a scandal... the last time I contested a ticket it was an open-and-shut case of stupidity and negligence on the part of public works & traffic/parking (basically not knowing the very laws they are supposed to enforce), and of course they just lied about reviewing it...so now i just contest every ticket because if someone treats you like crap, why not return the favor? Is this what the City wants? More paperwork? More resentment? More people inclined to cheat the system any way they can? If the answer is yes, then go right ahead with this policy.

Posted by: Streever | May 18, 2009 12:08 PM

"This new policy is out of touch with reality- most city residents have to travel outside the city lines to go to work, a movie or dinner."

The fix is simple though--push your alders & City Government to embrace it--
Schools
Safety
Infrastructure

We're tackling Safety via Chief Lewis & the tougher policing. It worked in NYC. Chief Lewis is the man to do it. We, as a community, should reach out to this man to keep him here past the current contract deadline. In recent years,
Dispatchers think they are cops, telling you what's important and what isn't--cops thought they were paperweights, with neither responsibility nor incentive to do old-fashioned police work--look at what people like Bombalicki, Hasset, etc are doing now--setting up stings, taking COMMUNITY concerns & RESPONDING!!! they are doing an awesome job.

Schools are part of the mayor's platform for this year. We're moving to models that we know work at places like Amistad academy. This won't have an immediate benefit but it will have amazing long-term benefits.

We've also greatly improved our hiring practices--though there is still some favortism--look at Mike Piscitelli in Traffic & Parking--the guy took a department that was created solely to "tax" residents for owning cars & turned it into a modern transportation department. That's infrastructure.

The city needs 3 basic things.
Good Police
Good Schools
Pothole fixing/road work/walkable sidewalks/slower speed limits/better mass transit--
all of which is being worked on.

Some people at City Hall really get it and are working on it. Others are trying to figure out how to tow you for everything. Others think we need to offer tax abatements to anyone and everyone--United Illuminating anyone? 20 years of mis-use of public space all to have a non tax paying corporate entity.

We need to focus on improving the city step by step--making it more attractive for people to be here--& increase density at the same time to keep prices low. We don't want to price ourselves out of a nice place to live.