Commuter Lots to Get New Meters, Open Space Discussion Continues

Metro-North passengers and others who park in the town’s three commuter lots in Bedford Hills and Katonah will soon be paying for their spaces at new, credit-card-capable meters. The upgraded multispace parking-meter system is expected to be in place before Labor Day.

Town Comptroller Edward Ritter will solicit vendor proposals next month for the system. Based on conversations with vendors, he put its estimated cost at between $85,000 and $95,000. Money to pay for new meters was included in a bond adopted earlier this month by the town board as part of a capital-improvement plan.

The board authorized Ritter to advertise a request for proposals at its meeting Tuesday.

The upgraded meters will replace the current pay stations, which Ritter described as using “old and outdated technology.” Today’s cash-only devices cannot accept credit cards, but do make change, when they’re working properly.

The new meters will not make change. For their first week of operation, Ritter said, the pay stations will have someone on hand to help drivers negotiate the unfamiliar consoles.

Open space funding

Alternative ways to finance the town’s purchase of open space for conservation purposes—historically bankrolled through a 3 percent property-tax surcharge—will be discussed at a June 27 work session. The board, which reduced the size of the surcharge this year in response to the state’s new tax cap, discussed a variety of approaches Tuesday but reached no conclusions.

Pectol to housing panel

The board appointed Receiver of Taxes Amy Pectol to fill the remaining months of Margaret Coe’s three-term on the Blue Mountain Housing Development Corp.