Huntington Residents Protest Town Parking Fee Increase

[qlty]

There needs to be Term Limits on the Town Board!!!Look what they tried to do with the Highway Supertendent position to make it an apointed one

[bubbathedog]

Originally Posted by qlty

There needs to be Term Limits on the Town Board!!!Look what they tried to do with the Highway Supertendent position to make it an apointed one

Yup, Huntington is out of hand.

But so is Smithtown and Islip. The county is a joke.

I can't wait to see next year's property tax bill.

[h-tonian]

Originally Posted by bubbathedog

OTOH, you write that it guarantees a spot.... How do you think it does that? Valet parking? NO, it most certainly does not guarantee a spot as it is first come, first served...

Self-park garages with guaranteed spots aren't exactly a new invention.

It is a guaranteed spot. There are X amount of spots in each garage. X amount of permits will be sold. Only those with permits get access to the garage. There will either be an attendant or (most likely) permit holders will get EZ-Pass-type RDF devices that open a gate. The spots are also already numbered, so the Town could even assign you your very own space if they wanted to.

A lot of people have been asking for this option for years.

AND IT'S TAX DEDUCTIBLE? Boy, I don't want you doing my taxes. How do you figure? For most folks, commuter costs are NOT tax deductible. Under the transit chek program, it may be payable from pre-tax earnings, however, the LIRR fare far exceeds the limits on that program.

You are entitled to "up to $240/month for parking at or near an employer’s worksite, or at a facility from which employee commutes via transit, vanpool, or carpool" tax-free. Most employers offer the pre-tax witholding adjustment. If your employer doesn't talk to them. It easily covers the $50 per month.

Source: http://www.nctr.usf.edu/programs/cle...mmutebenefits/

Another problem with Petrone's parking fee hike is the sheer rate of the increase. Right now, it's an incidental expense at $50/yr, but the present annual fee will become a monthly charge under the proposed $600/year fee. Maybe everyone will park at CSH, since, as you point out, there will not be any increase in the parking tag to park there.

Again, you can still buy a regular permit for $75 ($6.25 monthly). You can still use it to park in the lots in Huntington Station (just not the garages).

So, I think you ought to fact check your fact check!

See above.

[bubbathedog]

Originally Posted by h-tonian

Self-park garages with guaranteed spots aren't exactly a new invention.

It is a guaranteed spot. There are X amount of spots in each garage. X amount of permits will be sold. Only those with permits get access to the garage. There will either be an attendant or (most likely) permit holders will get EZ-Pass-type RDF devices that open a gate. The spots are also already numbered, so the Town could even assign you your very own space if they wanted to.

A lot of people have been asking for this option for years.




You are entitled to "up to $240/month for parking at or near an employer’s worksite, or at a facility from which employee commutes via transit, vanpool, or carpool" tax-free. Most employers offer the pre-tax witholding adjustment. If your employer doesn't talk to them. It easily covers the $50 per month.

Source: Commuter Tax Benefits | National Center for Transit Research




Again, you can still buy a regular permit for $75 ($6.25 monthly). You can still use it to park in the lots in Huntington Station (just not the garages).



See above.

Moderator cut: name-calling is v. the ToS

The $600/annum parking fee is for a Huntington Town Resident Parking Sticker and no, this is not an RFID tag that maps to a reserved, numbered spot, although, in your defense, there have been rumors of spot assignments.. The reason for the increase is due to the fact the town has already spent the money the increase will raise. Also, Petrone figures it's in the neighborhood of parking fees charged by neighboring towns. I don't know of any town that has reserved commuter lot parking as you purport this to be.

And yes, this parking fee, like any other expense incurred for commuting is not tax-free! The commuter subsidy you're referring to allows the commuter to pay for up to $240 in commute-related expense out of pre-tax income! The problem with this logic is most Penn Station-bound commuters are already paying $299/month LIRR fare. So, with just the train fare alone, $59 is after-tax income. By the time the LIRR raises fares next March, the ticket price will go to $325, add $125 to that for subway, and now $50, assuming the Huntington parking fees go to $600/yr. That's $500/month (with $240 of that in pre-tax income), but it's freakin' $500/month for the pleasure of one nasty 3-4 hour commute.

Quality of Life 0
Frank Petrone 600

[Elke Mariotti]

Originally Posted by bubbathedog

This is getting old... but I can't resist...
Moderator cut: OP removed
I don't know of any town that has reserved commuter lot parking as you purport this to be.

No, he's not a troll

With regard to reserved parking, Babylon has had that at least since the 70s - I should know, I commuted from there till 1984; after an initial waiting period, I had my own numbered spot (not even in a garage) till I sold my house and moved to the North Shore!!

[h-tonian]

Originally Posted by bubbathedog

This is getting old... but I can't resist.... I'm wondering if you're a troll...

The $600/annum parking fee is for a Huntington Town Resident Parking Sticker and no, this is not an RFID tag that maps to a reserved, numbered spot, although, in your defense, there have been rumors of spot assignments.. The reason for the increase is due to the fact the town has already spent the money the increase will raise.

Again - The fee for a regular Huntington Town Resident Parking Sticker will increase to $75 ($6.25/month). The only difference is that you must use outdoor lots only. If you want to park in the garage, you must obtain the $600 ($50/month permit) and are guaranteed a spot. Even the Patch article states this. Yes, this is getting old.

Also, Petrone figures it's in the neighborhood of parking fees charged by neighboring towns. I don't know of any town that has reserved commuter lot parking as you purport this to be

.

As Elke stated, Babylon has reserved parking. I'm sure there are others on Long Island. This is quite normal in other parts of the country.

And yes, this parking fee, like any other expense incurred for commuting is not tax-free! The commuter subsidy you're referring to allows the commuter to pay for up to $240 in commute-related expense out of pre-tax income! The problem with this logic is most Penn Station-bound commuters are already paying $299/month LIRR fare. So, with just the train fare alone, $59 is after-tax income. By the time the LIRR raises fares next March, the ticket price will go to $325, add $125 to that for subway, and now $50, assuming the Huntington parking fees go to $600/yr. That's $500/month (with $240 of that in pre-tax income), but it's freakin' $500/month for the pleasure of one nasty 3-4 hour commute.

Did you even look at the source link I provided, or facts getting in the way of your hysterics?

Commuters who park-and-ride are entitled to a $365 monthly pretax deduction - $125/month toward the LIRR/MTA and $240/month for "parking at a facility from which employee commutes via transit." A pretax deduction is still a tax deduction. The $600 permit is fully tax deductible.

As I said in me previous posts, I agree with you the LIRR is too expensive and I am not a fan of how Patrone's Board has been running the Town lately. You can also check my post history to see that I am not a troll.