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PORT CHESTER, N.Y. The Port Chester Board of Trustees shot down a resolution Monday that wouldve amended the village code regarding the enforcement of parking violations throughout the village. According to the refused amendment filing, the change was inspired by the discovery that many persistent out-of-state violators have been evading restitution.
The legislation, spearheaded by Trustee Bart Didden, was rejected by a vote of 5 to 1, with Trustee John Branca absent.
The boards main issue regarding the proposed legislation was the authorization of the police to tow or boot any vehicle registered to a person with three or more tickets, regardless of whether or not the tickets were issued to that vehicle. Members of the public and the board feared that the change would create accidental victims out of parents whose children have accrued three or more parking violations.
"We have victims and we have scofflaws," Mayor Dennis Pilla said. "We can't craft laws that are not consistent. Everyone has to follow certain laws."
The proposed legislation would've also given police officers greater discretion to boot and tow the cars of out-of-state violators who have accumulated three or more tickets. Currently, the village code only specifies that the village can tow the in-state registered vehicles with three or more violations, while cars registered out-of-state are not mentioned specifically by the law.
The board and Mayor Pilla added that they are open to exploring alternative ways to pay parking tickets and that the legislation was "a good try" and may be reincarnated in the future.
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