Bay Shore chamber sues Islip Town over parking meter program

Bay Shore’s chamber of commerce filed a lawsuit against Islip Town on Monday, seeking to shut down a controversial parking meter program in the South Shore hamlet.

The Islip Town Board failed to put parking meter revenues back into Bay Shore through a special improvement district required by state laws on traffic and towns, according to the lawsuit filed in State Supreme Court in Riverhead. Revenue from the meter program instead goes into the town general fund.  

“If they’re bearing the burden of a meter program, they should share in the success of it and get the revenues,” Bay Shore-based attorney Jason Fenley, who unsuccessfully ran for town council last year, said of Bay Shore residents. 

The lawsuit, filed by the Chamber of Commerce of Greater Bay Shore, seeks to nullify the town’s only parking meter program and obtain a temporary restraining order to halt its operation, Fenley said.

Islip Town spokeswoman Caroline Smith said she could not comment on pending litigation.

The board approved the program in 2014 and awarded a $750,000 contract to purchase meters. They were installed at the Maple Avenue dock in 2015; the LIRR station, Bay Shore marina and along downtown streets in 2016; and in the downtown back lots in May 2017.

The program took in a total of more than $900,000 throughout 2016 and 2017, according to data released by officials earlier this year. The town spent about $440,000 of the revenue in 2017. Officials said in February that they used the revenue for maintenance and improvements at the Bay Shore waterfront promenade and the Long Island Rail Road Station, including new paving, security cameras and sprinklers.

Town officials have said the metering program is needed to manage parking in the busy downtown, while business owners have criticized it, saying it is deterring customers and adding expenses for employees.

“It’s completely unfair that Bay Shore is the only hamlet in the Town of Islip that must pay for parking,” chamber president Donna Periconi said. “We’re tired of being Islip’s cash cow.”

A hearing on the temporary restraining order is scheduled for Friday at 10:30 a.m.  

By Rachelle Blidner

rachelle.blidner@newsday.com@rachelleblidner

Rachelle Blidner covers Suffolk County government, politics and breaking news.