VILLAGE PARKING OPERATION UPDATE

April 5, 2024 – As the Inc. Village of Port Jefferson prepares for the upcoming “Parking Season,” and we do so for the first time in years without the title of “Municipal Parking Administrator,” following the unanimous vote by the Board of Trustees to abolish that title, there is a plan in place to ensure that the experience will be seamless and efficiently operated.

The decision to abolish this title and remove it from the Village budget and payroll was made for reasons of economy and efficiency in the best interests of fiscal responsibility and managing taxpayer resources wisely, ultimately leading to greater economic and operational efficiency for Village residents and taxpayers. It was a decision that emulates how other municipalities on Long Island manage parking operations and one that we feel confident will elevate the ability to make data-driven and evidence-based decisions on how to best manage parking enforcement and operations moving forward.

The decision to absorb this role into Village administration was carefully considered and it was determined that greater efficiency will be accomplished by deploying Village resources from areas that interact and have responsibilities related to Village parking operations on a daily basis. Currently the plan includes the following departments:

  • The Treasurer’s Office will manage the fiscal operations and procurement aspects of Parking;
  • Working with the Parking Committee, the Planning Department will manage “big-picture” overall strategic planning and policy initiatives that involve parking;
  • The Clerk’s Office will manage the vendor relationships and administration of contracts;
  • Code Enforcement will continue to operate in its capacity and work feverishly toward the enhancement of parking enforcement;
  • The Village Justice Clerk’s Office will continue to collect and analyze data that will impact and advance enforcement operations;
  • The Department of Public Works and the Parks Department will maintain Village property where parking facilities are located.

 

Frequently Asked Questions

 

When Does Pay-to-Park Begin?

The Port Jefferson Village pay-to-park operation will begin on April 15 this year.

 

Who is Currently on the Parking Committee?

The Parking Committee, currently reconstituted under the auspices of the Business Improvement District and composed of nine members – six of whom are Village residents; four of whom are both residents and affiliated with business/commerce in the Village – have been meeting for six months and recently submitted a report with recommendations. After some discussion, a plan is in the works to build this Committee via statute into the Port Jefferson Village Code.

What Will Happen with Parking Services in 2024?

Some recommendations from the Parking Committee, which were presented to the Board in the form of a memorandum on February 11, and discussed during a public Board of Trustees Special Work Session on February 20, are relatively easily implemented. Others require Board of Trustee approval and public hearings to move forward.

 

Recommendations that require minimal administrative involvement are outlined below:

  1. Resident Parking: The Parking Committee specifically stated that there is no interest in eliminating free parking for residents.
  2. Signs, Signs, Everywhere Signs: The first initiative will be to update the conflicting and redundant messages found on some of the parking signs in Port Jefferson’s municipal parking lots. Existing signs offer conflicting, outdated information, which will be addressed and updated. We will also remove, to the extent possible, the number of signs placed throughout Village parking lots.
  3. Simplify Instructions: New signs created by the sign-making team in the Department of Public Works will simply state: “Text PJ to 75498 or Scan to Park (QR code)”. Upon doing so, a link will appear, and the user will click through, bringing them to the pay to park website where rates and other details are provided. The Village will provide small posters and business cards to use when customers forgot to pay to park.
  4. Enforcement Hours: Managed parking is primarily driven to incentivize turnover during peak parking season where parking shortages are at a maximum, so enforcement will be a priority in 2024. Establishing new parking enforcement hours in the business district pay-to-park parking lots – Noon – 8PM, seven days a week – will be piloted for the start of the 2024 parking season and data collection and analysis will quickly help to evaluate the impact of this change.
  5. Pay-to-Park Rate Adjustment: The Parking Committee suggested a uniform price for parking seven days a week: $1.50/hour with a 2-hour minimum. This $.50 increase on weekdays (Mon.-Thurs.) will help compensate for the enforcement hour reduction model. This rate is significantly less than the $5/hour rate in the Town of Brookhaven Marina parking lot.
  6. Equipment: The Parking Committee has recommended the removal of “kiosk” meters and to consider replacing 12 existing pay stations and adding one more at Mill Creek Road, for a total of 13 new pay stations, given that the original pay stations were purchased in 2018 and the technology is now less expensive and more responsive. The Business Improvement District has committed to splitting the cost of these meters. Current technology will be maintained until such time as new pay stations are approved, purchased and installed. 
  7. Merchant Parking Permits: In 2023, when the License Plate Reader program began, merchants went from one placard per entity to multiple LPR permits – 2, 3, 4 and up to 5 – for a total of 108 permits issued. Some of these permits were issued even when the permittee was a village resident. Due to the very limited parking inventory in Port Jefferson, the Village will be going back to merchant placards, at one per merchant. This will help business owners more equitably manage their parking needs for employees.
  8. Employee Permits: Similar to Merchant permits, Village employees were issued multiple permits through the LPR system, even if the employee was a resident. This year, the Village will return to the one placard per employee policy for non-resident Village employees and non-resident consultants who frequently park in the downtown area to address contractual obligations. Resident Village employees will not need a placard since they will register their license plate through the resident parking system.

How Will Parking Operations Change Going Forward?

This is a fluid, work-in-progress. More information will be provided as the Village and Board of Trustees work through other recommendations from the Parking Committee and Planning staff, including:

  • Uniformity of signage reflecting enforcement times on Main Street, East Main Street, Arden and Broadway;
  • Evaluate the need to indicate “except holidays” on off-street parking signs;
  • Evaluate effectiveness and ADA compliance regulations related to on-street handicap parking;
  • Consider “quick pick up” spaces;
  • Warning system implementation;
  • LIRR parking agreement (since 2001 PJ Village has been responsible for maintaining this lot);
  • Seasonal parking end-date;
  • Considering a limit to start and ending time for overnight parking hours;
  • Merchant employee parking;
  • Set parking time limits on Mill Creek Road;
  • Payment in lieu of parking calculations.

 

Questions?

Email the Village Clerk at SPirillo@portjeff.com or call 631-473-4724.