That Snow Is Gonna Cost Ya: Parking Authority Raising Rates

The Norwalk Parking Authority plans to vote on a rate increase Wednesday night as it revises its 2011-2012 budget to reflect the increased costs of cleaning up this winter's record snowfall.

The rate raises include increases  for monthly permit holders as well as daily parking. The 4- to 24-hour daily rate of Webster, Haviland and Water Street lots will increase by a dollar, to $6 a day. On-street parking meters would increase by 25 cents per hour, to $1.25.

Under the proposal, there would be a reduced rate at the for 12 hours or less. The Maritime Garage already reduces parking fees after 5 p.m. to $1.

A public hearing on the proposed rate increases will take place at 6 p.m. at the parking authority's offices at 11 North Water St., after which the authority board will vote on the proposal and the agency's 2011-2012 budget.

The parking authority has spent $200,000 on snow removal this year, well past the $160,000 that had been budgeted.

"In these times, the Norwalk Parking Authority, like many organizations, needs to be fiscally responsible.  We’re taking steps such as reducing the budget by nearly 6 percent, mainly through staff reductions and operational efficiencies," said the agency's chairman, John Federici, in a statement released by the parking authority.

"The modest fee increases will also help the Authority to continue to be self-financed and not taxpayer supported, as well as enable us to reinvest in our facilities as we have done this past year with improvements to many of our facilities, most notably the South Norwalk Railroad station and the Webster Lot," Federici said in the statement.

Parking availability at the came under fire earlier this year. State Senator Bob Duff raised the issue after receiving a complaint by a constituent who had a permit to park at the SoNo station and was turned away and made to pay the daily rate at Webster Lot.

Since the parking authority was first created in 2003, every mayor has promised not to place the financial costs of parking on Norwalk taxpayers.