Freehold panel
will be named
to study parking
By clare MARie celano
Staff Writer
FREEHOLD — The long-standing issue of parking in the borough’s downtown area will finally be addressed by a new Parking Advisory Committee.
On Aug. 4, the Borough Council adopted an ordinance creating the committee which will address the issue of parking, or the lack of it, in the downtown area.
The ordinance, which came up for second reading, was unanimously adopted by the council members. The committee is being formed to examine the most recent parking study performed by Abbington Associates, Freehold.
According to the ordinance, the parking committee should be established "to review the report, findings and recommendations and then make its recommendations to the mayor and council as to what actions should be taken."
The committee will also serve in an advisory capacity to the mayor and council on parking issues. It will conduct an assessment of the parking needs of the community and develop recommendations on addressing those needs. Acquiring grants will be a part of the committee’s responsibility.
In a conversation with Borough Admin-istrator Joseph Bellina, he spoke about the possibility of constructing a parking structure in the borough and said the new committee would be responsible for first assessing the parking needs of the area.
In discussing a parking garage, Bellina said the committee would be responsible for finding the best location for such a structure, deciding the benefits of a parking garage and researching the financial considerations such a project would bring with it.
In a subsequent conversation, Council-man Michael Toubin said the idea of a parking structure had been discussed years ago. He said that the last estimate he had received, about five years ago, was $12,000 to $13,000 per car to build such a facility.
"A parking structure is a very costly project and it would need to be self-funded," Toubin said. "It would also entail the institution of a parking authority, which is a totally different level of government."
Bellina said a resolution would be prepared after the Labor Day holiday and that committee members would then be appointed by Mayor Michael Wilson.
In other recent business, the council adopted the 2003 municipal budget at a special meeting on July 22.
The $10.1 million spending plan includes $1.6 million in state aid and $25,000 in extraordinary state aid which Bellina said was not what the borough applied for, but is what officials will make do with.
The municipal tax rate will rise 4.2 cents per $100 of assessed valuation, from $1.047 to $1.089 per $100. The owner of a home assessed at $150,000 will pay about $1,633 in municipal property taxes this year, up from $1,570 in 2002.
Initial projections this spring called for a 3.6-cent increase in the municipal tax rate, but Bellina that heating fuel due to a harsh winter and the addition of new patrol officers accounted for the additional increase. Borough officials will collect a total of $5.28 million from local taxpayers to help support the budget.