Glen Cove to double some parking fees amid $3M budget hole

Glen Cove has more than doubled the cost of multiple parking violations, raising penalties as the city scrambles to fill a $3.1 million budget hole.

Fines for infractions such as parking in a crosswalk, blocking a driveway and obstructing traffic were raised from $50 to $125, bringing those sanctions in line with surrounding municipalities, officials said. The change, which was recently approved by the city council, comes as the city wrestles with a budget shortfall that triggered a credit rating downgrade. The city was in the midst of a financial rebound. In 2024, Glen Cove emerged from the state comptroller's list of the most fiscally stressed municipalities.

The new law changes fees for 18 violations: Most now cost $125. Fines are $135 for parking in a fire lane, $120 for double parking and $105 for parking on the left side of the curb.

“These are things people shouldn’t be doing anyway,” Mayor Pamela Panzenbeck said in a phone interview.

Glen Cove officials say the city's parking violation fees were well below surrounding municipalities. The fines for illegally parking in North Hempstead, Hempstead and Oyster Bay is $125, according to Nassau County’s website.

Panzenbeck said the city's police department routinely reviews its fine structure so it's in line with nearby towns and villages.

“We looked at a lot of these fines, these violations, and they’ve been in place since 2002,” Panzenbeck said. “Sometimes, if the fine is bigger, it’ll keep people from taking advantage of the low fine.”

Glen Cove resident Priyanshi Patel said while she believes the new fines are too high, they could motivate people to comply with city regulations.

“People are like, 'Oh it’s just $50, just park here we don’t have the time,'" Patel, 20, said in a recent interview. She said she can see the city’s view that the new penalties could stop more illegal parking and recoup some revenue.

“It could be good,” Patel said. “I mean people will follow the rules and [the city] also might make some money.”

Glen Cove officials recently said they had planned to fill a budget gap caused by a new revenue stream failing to materialize. 

Last summer, Glen Cove City Council voted to collect sales tax directly, a departure from a decades-old practice. For years, Nassau County has collected the city's sales tax share up front. While Nassau did not send the revenue to Glen Cove, it credited the city in the form of a property tax rebate. When Glen Cove set its budget last fall, officials projected $3.1 million directly from sales tax proceeds. But Nassau County did not approve a waiver in time for the change to take effect this year, city officials have said.

Credit rating agency Moody’s downgraded the city's bond rating in May. In a report, Moody's cited the missing sales tax revenue as a contributing factor for the downgrade and faulted the city for lacking the flexibility to plug the budget hole. Glen Cove officials said the city will start collecting the revenue directly in 2027.

Credit decreases can affect borrowing costs. The city recently approved a $4.9 million capital spending plan to pay for infrastructure fixes. 

Barbara Rotondo, a Glen Cove resident for three years, said she was unaware of the new fees and said the hikes are too high.

"Fifty dollars is good,” Rotondo said. When asked about the city's budget hole, Rotondo said officials should search for other revenue sources and need “better budgeting.”