The phrase "path of least resistance" describes opting for the easiest way to do something rather than finding the best way. It seems the phrase aptly applies to the Common Council's decision regarding the South Front Street parking lot (also known as the "Amtrak lot") and long-term parking permits.
There were problems that arose from the City's issuing 99 long-term parking permits for the South Front Street parking lot when there were only 72 spaces reserved for permit users. Despite the fact that the permit application, the permit itself, the City website, and signage at the parking lot all indicated "the purchase of a permit does not guarantee a spot," if all the reserved spaces were filled, people with permits would park anywhere in the lot with the expectation they could do so for free. When they were ticketed, they would protest, making things unpleasant for the woman who functions as the "Parking Bureau" and for the staff in the city clerk's office.
When presented with this situation last spring, the Common Council opted for what seemed to be the simplest course of action: stop issuing parking permits. Problem solved. But was it the best solution?
Since then, permit holders have voiced their objections to eliminating parking permits and organized to protest the City's change in policy. A petition was started, which to date has garnered 185 signatures. The text of the petition reads in part:
Many Columbia County area residents heavily rely on the South Front Street Long Term Parking Lot. It's our gateway to the working world, providing us with vital access to the Amtrak train that transports us to our workplaces. Unfortunately, we can no longer buy parking passes for the whole year, leading to undue stress and financial instability. For many years, annual parking passes were available for $1,000 per year. Hudson Common Council, led by Tom DePietro, eliminated them. Parking now costs $10 a day, or $2,600 per year for those who park 5 days a week, a 160% increase. . . .
Perhaps most troubling is that the Council's decision to eliminate annual passes was based on anecdotes and assumptions rather than data or a future-focused strategy that recognizes Hudson’s role as a commuting hub. No formal analysis of parking demand or revenue was conducted—just an arbitrary policy shift. A more thoughtful solution would be to gradually raise the annual pass price, guided by historical usage data and revenue projections per parking space. . . .
For the sake of just and fair commuter practices, we firmly urge the city management of Hudson to reinstate the sales of annual passes for the South Front Street Long Term Parking Lot. This move will not only mitigate the hardship imposed on workers who rely on the Amtrak train, but also contribute to the stability and adaptability of the local economy. . . .
It is not clear if the petition has been formally presented to the Common Council at this point, but it will be interesting to see if and how the Council, which seems to be focused raising as much revenue as possible from parking, responds to this appeal from commuters who rely on our Amtrak station.
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Hudson deserves better than amateur leadership. The time for change is fast approaching.
ReplyDeleteSeems like the correct solution, instead of engaging with some convoluted process where you buy a permit that doesn't, and cannot promise you spot, you pay like everyone else first come first serve, and now from your phone! Next time you get something at a reduced price keep it quiet instead if yelling at the nearest clerk.
ReplyDeleteLet's do the math: 99 permits which - once they go away - each bring in an additional $1,600 through pay-as-you-park. That's a fat $158,400 the city didn't previously have!
ReplyDeleteThat could pay for two more Kamals! Imagine what the city could do with three of him - the sky's the limit here, folks!
There's no downsides here. Those plebs that are now being asked to pay 260% of what they previously paid surely would never consider just driving down to Poughkeepsie where parking permits continue to exist and are cheap. NEVER!!
Hudson serves as the capital for the political ambitions of a dozen, rather than serving as the true capital of the county.
ReplyDeleteWhat a colossal missed opportunity... the Mayor of Hudson could have propelled the entire City of Hudson and the entire County of Columbia... but instead retreated to propel only a few dozen residents in one (of five) wards.
¯\_(ツ)_/¯
I don't understand how your comment is related to parking committee, Which the mayor is not a part of, we had a process that was convoluted, confusing, and bureaucratic. they made it transparent and streamlined, everyone pays the same, first come first serve. Seems to abide by the principles of fairness if these parking spots are this sought after.
DeleteFair question Henry… and thank you for clarifying that the train parking situation rests with a committee and not technically the mayor… the main issue is they sold a service that they could not provide consistently, and general confusion reigns...
DeleteBut your question also proves my point…
Why does Hudson have a mayor-council system (with dozens of sub-committees)... in a city of 5,000, where no one seems to be ultimately responsible for anything.
Where does the buck stop? Our civil department heads do an admirable job in a constrained environment… I wish I could say the same for our elected leaders.
Furthermore, it should not take dozens of hours a week/month just to understand how the city works, let alone participate in the civil process.
Mostly for the entertainment of the former KGB alum living in Hudson and enjoying this blog, but also a serious point:
🇷🇺 🇨🇳
- If you asked our enemies, Russia's Foreign Intelligence Service (SVR) or China's Ministry of State Security (MSS), how to set up a typical small American town's governance to be maximally political, unproductive, most wasteful, and systemically sub-optimal, they would probably design Hudson and install its current two political leaders.
- In fact, the CIA did exactly this abroad in their "Simple Sabotage Field Manual" published by the Office of Strategic Services (OSS) in 1944:
Some of the sabotage tactics mentioned include:
- Making unnecessary speeches and bringing up irrelevant issues
- Referring matters to committees and haggling over wording
- Insisting on doing everything through the most expensive channels
- Giving inefficient workers promotions and discriminating against efficient ones
- Multiplying paperwork and procedures unnecessarily
- Acting incompetent or misunderstanding orders
Reference for more reading: https://www.cia.gov/stories/story/the-art-of-simple-sabotage/
Have a wonderful day and week Henry!
Henry, any solution that raises the price by 160% for a non-insignificantly sized group probably misses the mark.
DeleteThere was a smarter way to do this of course but none of the people involved with this thought of it: You do away with permits and everyone just pays on the day they use the lot but you cap the total amount to, say, $1,400 or so for a calendar year. That means, the 141st time and beyond that you park, it's gonna be free.
You still get a 40% increase in revenue but you don't piss off a bunch of people that may now sidestep Hudson entirely which is not going to be to the city's benefit.
What a treat it would be if any of you had a basic grasp of how American democracy works. A committee does not establish laws. The council passes laws, the mayor signs or vetoes them. Committees don’t make laws. It’s that whole “separation of powers” stuff in the Constitution. This level of civic illiteracy is depressing.
DeleteJohn... the point is that the City of Hudson is not the federal government and it should not be this complicated and fraught to run a city of 5,000.
DeleteThousands of private parking garages have solved this problem and make a tidy profit for their owners without disappointing their customers.
But John, do let us know when you are doing a course on American Civics 101 and we will rally all the immigrants to attend. Sincerely.
Who is making the suggestion to the common council about this change in policy John? Where did this change originate, and where was it initially debated?
DeleteJohn, no need to be snarky here just for the sake of it. I trust that the constituents of this debate broadly understand how this all works.
DeleteI believe that in in this specific instance it also may miss the point since this Ad-Hoc Parking Study committee consists, exclusively, of members that are on the council.
Maybe you took offense that the mayor was dragged into this. Sure, he as the head of the executive branch does not pass laws. But one thing that you, me, everyone else here seem to be in agreement about is that our mayor, the premier leader of Hudson, seems very reluctant to actually lead.
I expect him to set an agenda. The council is free to ignore it but then he can do any number of things to put public pressure on them. It would mean work so I guess that's a-priori out of the question with him.
So instead it seems Jennifer Belton either volunteered or was tasked with coming up with something. So she was aimlessly thrashing around, couldn't quite figure out something good and this is now the proposal we have.
The Friendly Immigrant is not wrong when he identifies this as yet another instance where Hudson needlessly alienates other parts of the county.
You all understand that the council is the sole legislative body in and for the city, right? End of story. All the rest is bloviation and verbal masturbation. But if that’s what you want to spend your time on . . ..
DeleteWithout a proper parking department, dumb decisions like repealing the permits will continue to happen.
ReplyDeleteIt's probably unsurprising to know that the Amtrak permit holders were not notified before or after council voted to do away with the permits. I know that many of the permit holders were appalled at the nasty response they got from Tom Depietro when they reached out to him. Welcome to Hudson City Hall! Tom basically told the commuters, all of whom for years had been paying the city one thousand dollars a year for a parking space, that they "weren't paying their fair share." He really is so tactful. Treasurer Heather Campbell was also not properly notified of the change.
It's also no surprise that last month the Parking Study Committee, led by Jen Belton, decided that the permit holders in the downtown lots are also "not paying their fair share," so, of course, the city will likely be doing away with the Municipal Lot permits as well. In short, our council is out of touch with reality and out to lunch.
This does not bode well for the huge changes coming soon with the many parking kiosks. It will be a complete disaster! Tom DePietro and Jen Belton, however, are not worried -- they've got it under control. Not a parking department with a paid supervisor, mind you, but two council members with nothing better to do than to transform the downtown parking meter scheme for us!
It's going to be quite a show!
Like many on here, I’m critical of our local government, and oh boy there’s a lot to criticize. But I try to call em as I see em and I’m with the council on this one. Especially with many recent transplants being forced to return to the office more, demand for the lot has exceeded supply. I thought most of us believed in pragmatic economics. That would encourage the city to increase revenue, encourage carpooling, and invest in increasing parking capacity and infrastructure. It doesn’t make sense to set aside reserved spaces that may or may not be used daily when the rest of the lot will be utilized. Furthermore, I would guess that most of these commuters live outside Hudson in the greater Columbia or Greene counties. As a resident, tax payer, and voter in Hudson, I’d encourage the city to maximize revenue sources beyond killing us with even higher property taxes. A monthly Amtrak pass to Penn Station is over $1,000 a month. These aren’t low income hourly wage workers. They can and will pay for it. I would also wager that, instead of 4+ hour daily commuters, many of these permit holders are weekenders who live in the city from M-F and are using the Front St lot to garage their weekend vehicles, rather than paying way more to garage in NYC. Sure, maybe the city could have been better in their communication, but that’s why we need a real parking department. If they want to build in a volume discount, fine, but that can be built into the payment app and not through the old labor intensive permitting process.
ReplyDeleteWhat's the aversion in Hudson to data driven decisions? Is our leadership not comfortable with the conclusions that data might drive? Is our leadership just not aware of how important data can be in the decision-making process?
ReplyDeleteData?? Like numbers?! Analysis? Like work?! Work is scary!!! Numbers are hard!!
DeleteTen dollars a day to park seems like a cheap price to pay. Tax paying property owners in Hudson are gouged for more at every turn.
ReplyDeleteSoon enough, property owners will no long be able to park near their residence for free with the installation of parking kioks below 3rd Street on Warren.