MOUNT KISCO, N.Y. - Mount Kisco has done a bit of backpedaling on parking regulations that had been met with pushback from the business community earlier this year.
It still is going ahead with plans to increase meter rates from 50 cents to 75 cents (or 25 cents for every 20 minutes) an hour.
That isn’t likely to happen until after Labor Day due to the fact that the village is still waiting for the parts it needs to convert the meters.
Free parking on Saturdays -- everywhere except the North Moger lot where there are 300 spots – officially became history the week of Aug. 4. There still will be no charge on Sundays and holidays.
(The village had maintained Saturday parking fees for eons until dropping them when COVID hit and downtown merchants were in need of a helping hand.)
However, it has “abandoned” the thought of extending enforcement hours, which start at 8 a.m., from the current 6 p.m. to 8 p.m., Village Manager Ed Brancati announced at the Village Board’s July 14 meeting.
That, and the reinstatement of Saturday parking fees, had been the chief concerns raised this spring by Chamber of Commerce folks and others because of fears changes would drive customers away.
They were generally okay with raising meter rates.
The lingering effects of the pandemic have been partly blamed for the decline in parking permit revenues, one of the reasons cited by Mayor J. Michael Cindrich for changing up the regulations.
The village has six lots: North Moger Avenue, South Moger Avenue, Blackeby (located behind Party City’s former store on Main Street), Village Center (aka Shoppers Park, sandwiched between East Main Street and Moger Avenue), Dakin Avenue, and East Hyatt Avenue.
Also on the agenda that Monday were fees and fines attached to the dozens of new electric vehicle stations expected to be popping up in the near future.
There will be 27 duel- or single-port chargers spread around the village.
It will cost $1.50 an hour to plug in, which is “consistent” with what neighboring communities such as Bedford, Pleasantville, and White Plains ask, Brancati said.
That’s to cover the village’s electrical, maintenance, and software licensing costs, he explained.
The Village Board also approved setting a fine of $25 for parking at an EV station if the car in question isn’t actually hooked up.
“We think the fine is not insignificant, but it’s appropriate,” Brancati said.
The project itself is being mostly paid for through a combination of funding sources.
According to Brancati, Westchester County is picking up “50 percent” of the whole tab while the village expects to get another chunk from the New York State Energy Research and Development Authority (NYSERDA).
Then there are rebates from Con Edison, he noted.
“Out of pocket,” the village is looking at a bill of between $30,000 and $40,000, Brancati said.
The new EV stations will be providing “a tremendous service to residents, visitors, everybody … and at a very minimal expense to the village,” he pointed out.
It’s also helps the environment.
That sounded good to Cindrich.
“So, we’re helping to reduce our carbon footprint by providing these charging stations?” he asked rhetorically.
“It’s all part of the puzzle,” Brancati replied, reminding trustees and the public that Mount Kisco is currently a “bronze-certified Climate Smart Community.”
The state Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) administers the Climate Smart Communities (CSC) program, which provides a framework for local governments to battle climate change by reducing greenhouse gases and bolstering climate “resilience.”
The DEC works with other state agencies such as NYSERDA and the New York Power Authority.
By participating in the initiative, communities gain access to grant funding, technical assistance, and recognition for their climate action efforts.
Brancati said the village is preparing to work on recertifying itself this year with the hope of “maybe getting to silver.”
The EV project is, he added, “part of it.”
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