In March of this year I, along with others, voiced concerns over the new "Pay and Display" parking meters at a City Council meeting. Concerns voiced that night ranged from credit card security, to the inconvenience of the meters, to the projected costs. The City Council decided to delay the roll out of the new meters. In today's Herald (11/12/2009), I learned that the City is about to spend at least $130,000 of our taxpayer dollars to move forward with the new meters by the end of the year.
The City Council just stuck it to us only a few days after the election. Why didn't they make this decision last month? Could it have been that they wouldn't be re-elected?
Why in the world are the City Council and the City of Portsmouth spending $130,000 of our tax dollars on new meters during the worst economic times since the Great Depression? They will claim that the costs to repair the existing ones will justify it, trust me on that. The City will spin their statistics to favor this pet project of theirs. Meanwhile, instead of lowering taxes to help out ordinary residents, they spend $130,000 of our tax dollars on new meters. This is mind boggling.
Maybe it's time we evaluate the end of paid parking in Downtown Portsmouth. Other cities have done it, and it can help local businesses. Eliminating the on-street parking fee would help local businesses by decreasing the costs we incur as visitors to our own Downtown. Besides, why do we have to pay to park on the street Downtown, but nowhere else? Our vehicle registration fees are suppose to go towards covering the costs of maintaining the roads, and don't forget they just doubled this year.
The City will claim that we take in a lot of money from the Downtown parking meters, which is the real reason they want the new meter systems. No more free parking from someone else who pulled out of their meter with time on it! But let's look at the numbers. Let's look at how much the City is paying towards salaries, benefits, retirement, insurance, etc, related to the employees of the parking department. Are the parking meters simply covering the costs to run the department? According to the parking department page on the City's website, the City sent at least one of its parking meter technicians to a convention in Dallas, Texas recently. Why is the City spending our tax dollars to send people to conventions in a bad economy? This makes no sense.
I encourage everyone to go to the City of Portsmouth's website, click on the City Council link, get your Councilor's contact information, and either call them or write to them. Tell them that you will not stand for them spending $130,000 of our tax on these new meters - especially in these economic times!
Erik Crago
Portsmouth, NH
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Here is a link to the document that the City has posted which mentions the Texas convention. My favorite line from this document (on page 3), which I find utterly absurd, is "Parking fees, fines and our enforcement efforts are designed to keep Portsmouth the vibrant downtown that it is today." There you have it folks! Our City leaders think that parking fees and fines keep Portsmouth's Downtown vibrant!
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Here is a list of our City Councilors:
Thomas G. Ferrini, Mayor
69 Taft Rd.
Portsmouth, NH 03801
Phone: (603)436-0287, 742-5222
John (Jack) Blalock, Assistant Mayor
148 Brackett Rd.
Portsmouth, NH 03801
Phone: (603)431-5055
Nancy Novelline Clayburgh, Councilor
405 FW Hartford Dr.
Portsmouth, NH 03801
Phone: (603)436-6525
M. Chris Dwyer, Councilor
600 Broad St.
Portsmouth, NH 03801
Phone: (603)436-5247
Esther E. Kennedy Councilor
41 Pickering Ave.
Portsmouth, NH 03801
Phone: (603)431-2944
Laura C. Pantelakos Councilor
528 Dennett St.
Portsmouth, NH 03801
Phone: (603)436-2148 2008-2009
Jerry Hejtmanek Councilor
305 FW Hartford Dr.
Portsmouth, NH 03801
Phone: 436-2318
Kenneth E. Smith Councilor
298 Myrtle Ave.
Portsmouth, NH 03801
Phone: (603)433-3148
Eric Spear Councilor
49 Mt. Vernon St.
Portsmouth, NH 03801
Phone: (603)436-8060
Ken Smith can be reached at his business, Maine-ly New Hampshire at 22 Deer Street in Portsmouth, NH, or by phone at work at (603) 422-9500 or at home at (603) 433-3148.