PRINCETON: Borough hears more static on parking fees

By Lauren Otis, Staff Writer
   Downtown merchants returned to Princeton Borough Hall on Tuesday to voice their displeasure again over the Borough Council’s decision to expand paid parking hours in the borough to Sunday as well as later in the evening on weeknights.
   The council voted April 7 to expand metered hours for downtown parking from 7 p.m. to 8 p.m. Monday through Saturday, and on Sunday replace free street parking and 25-cent-per-hour garage parking with regular daily rates. The changes were considered in order to raise revenue for the borough as it attempts to produce a fiscal year 2009 budget that will not increase property taxes.
   Merchants who voiced their opposition at the April 7 meeting were back at this past Tuesday’s council meeting to reiterate their displeasure at an action they said would drive shoppers away and reduce their own revenues perilously in an unprecedented economic downturn.
   In committing to have homeowners pay no tax increase by moving the fiscal burden to merchants and their customers, “you’ve attempted to separate this town,” said Henry Landau, co-owner of Landau’s woolens store at 102 Nassau St.
   ”We are one town,” said Mr. Landau. “None of us can survive without the other,” he said.
   Robert Landau, Landau’s co-owner and Henry Landau’s brother, also spoke. “I was disappointed with an approach that appeared to pit the residents against the merchants,” at the April 7 council meeting, he said.
   Mr. Landau said it was hard enough to succeed as a business in the current economy without having elected officials who appeared to cut merchants loose in favor of residents. Referring to comments at the April 7 meeting made by Councilman David Goldfarb, Mr. Landau said, “To say all we do is complain seems like it is a violation of your role here.”
   Mr. Goldfarb responded that “I hope I didn’t leave that impression with everybody.” He added it was hard for Borough Council to draw conclusions about how downtown businesses were faring because “they always say ‘we are suffering,’ no matter what the economy.”
   Kathie Morolda, owner of Cranbury Station Gallery at 28 Palmer Square East and president of the Borough Merchants for Princeton, told council members she agreed with the comments made by the Landau brothers. She said she wanted “to express how disappointed we were” with the council action expanding metered parking.
   Henry Landau told Borough Council it appeared it did not even have the authority to expand metered hours on Nassau Street, which is also state Route 27, because that road is under the jurisdiction of the state. The state only permits metered parking there until 6 p.m., Mr. Landau said. “You can do whatever you want with the other meters but you are governed by the state on Nassau Street,” he said.
   Later in the meeting, Borough Administrator Robert Bruschi said the problem is more of a paperwork issue than one of authority and jurisdiction, and the borough engineer was in the process of working with the state Department of Transportation to rectify the matter.
   ”Mr. Landau is correct. On their books for some reason it only goes to 6 p.m.,” Mr. Bruschi said. The problem would likely be resolved by filing the appropriate paperwork at the state to change what it has on its books, he said.
   ”We don’t expect there is going to be any issue with the state,” Mr. Bruschi said. He reiterated that the parking changes would be introduced through a “soft opening” with signs erected and parking meter users educated first before any enforcement took place.
   At the Borough Council meeting, Councilman Roger Martindell raised the issue of Princeton Township repayment of in excess of $1 million in sewer fees the borough feels it is owed for work done on the North Ridge sewer line, and other sewer fees. Mr. Martindell said of a recent request by the township to review joint Sewer Operating Committee accounts for 2008 after previously only wanting information up to 2007: “I see this step by the township as further delay.”
   ”We are being held up at this point,” Mr. Martindell said.
   Mr. Bruschi said he was working closely with Township Administrator Jim Pascale on the matter, and the township had informed borough staff it has closed some sewer accounts it has been auditing. Mr. Pascale “has advised us they are going to make a payment on some of those accounts,” Mr. Bruschi said.
   In an interview following the council meeting, Mr. Bruschi acknowledged “we are at a little of a stalemate,” over the sewer payments, but said “we are trying to work it out” at the staff level.
   He said he could see the township’s reasons for wanting to conduct an audit of the SOC accounts through 2008, rather than stop at 2007.
   Work on the matter will proceed between the two municipalities even as they have jointly hired a third party arbitrator to work with them on it, Mr. Bruschi said. “We are going to move to that level anyway just to discuss with a third party the whole North Ridge issue,” he said.