The Village of Pelham board voted unanimously Sept. 27 to hold a public hearing on reducing some parking fines that it had increased in May.

At the May 24 meeting, the trustees raised the fines for downtown parking tickets from $25 to $50 (with payment within 24 hours set at $30 instead of the previous $15). It also voted to raise the fine for overnight parking to $80 (with payment within 24 hours set at $40).

The Pelham Chamber of Commerce and some village residents had expressed concerns about the increases.

The hearing, which will be held on Oct. 11 at 8 p.m., will be on a local law that will either lower the fine for meter violations to $40 with a $30 fast-pay option or set a flat $35 ticket. The board was not in agreement on which direction to take and held a lengthy discussion about again changing the fines.

“Why have that extra layer of frustration for residents?” said Trustee Russell Solomon, speaking in favor of a flat fee. “I think it’s just, at the end of the day, people are going to pay the 30 bucks, so just say it’s a $30 ticket. The cleaner we can make it—the laws and violations—the less confusion there is.”

“Everyone is raising prices, so this is something we have to do,” said Trustee Lisa Hill-Ries. “I really think this has been over thought to the point where, again, this is not a parking fee. It is a parking fine, so you don’t have to pay it if you pay the small fee at the meter.”

Mayor Chance Mullen said, “I’m uncomfortable with completely reimagining the way that we handle our tickets. I will say, I think having a discount in those situations where you made a mistake and so now you get to pay a little less feels good. And I think people will miss the opportunity to have a discount if we do a flat fee, no matter what the flat fee is.”

In a July letter, the chamber of commerce had suggested the options the board is considering.

In an email urging chamber members to speak at the Oct. 11 hearing, Deanna Zammit, a board member of the chamber, said, “Local government works only when people participate, so I encourage you all to attend and make your voices heard. This is something we’ve been discussing with the board since the fines were raised, and it’s been our position that the new fines will adversely affect local businesses by discouraging parking in town.”

The village board unanimously approved a series of resolutions needed for the Pelham Green (formerly called Pelham House) apartment development and municipal center projects to begin. 

Under a deal the village cut with Pelham Green, the developer is proposing to construct a five-story rental building at Fifth Avenue and Third Street (201 Fifth Ave.), as well as a new municipal center to house village hall and the village’s police and fire stations. The projects would, in part, use village-owned land and the construction of the municipal center would be entirely funded by Pelham Green.  

The board approved a resolution declaring the Pelham Green project qualified for the Business Development Floating Zone (BDFZ), a special zone created to encourage the development of mixed-use projects in the downtown and under which Pelham Green had sought approval. Also approved was a resolution stating Pelham Green will “not have a significant adverse impact on the environment” and another authorizing conveyance of the village fire house and the parking lot at Third Street and Fourth Avenue to the Pelham Local Development Corp., an entity created by the village for the purposes of transferring the land required by the project.