Kingston resident urges ban on overnight parking in parks, supports lower fines at public hearing

May 21, 2025 — The Common Council of the City of Kingston held a mayor's public hearing at 5:04 p.m. on Local Law No. 2 of 2025, which would amend Chapter 3-10 of the city code governing Parks and Recreation to limit overnight parking and adjust enforcement penalties. Resident Barbara Hill of 203 Lucas Avenue testified in support of the proposed changes, citing safety and nuisance problems she said have persisted for about a year.

Hill said vehicles parked in a lot that is part of the city parks, across from the Forsyth Park tennis courts, have included a large trailer and a rental car, sometimes leaving as many as four vehicles in the lot. She said the trailer’s hitch was exposed and that children had played on it. "The hitch was exposed. Kids would play on it, and it wasn't secure, And it coulda rolled down the street," Hill told the hearing.

Hill told the council she supported a prohibition on overnight parking in parks and said enforcement decisions should rest with Lindsay Timbrook, identified in Hill's remarks as head of Parks and Recreation. She also said she supported a lower ticketing amount for violations and opposed harsher criminal penalties, saying, "It shouldn't be a felony or whatever it was going to be." Hill described the matters as an ongoing problem and thanked the council for advancing the item to a public hearing.

City officials opened the hearing at 5:04 p.m. and, after Hill’s comments, closed the public hearing on Local Law No. 2 at 5:07 p.m. There was no recorded vote or ordinance adoption during the hearing; the session consisted of the formal public comment period on the proposed local law.

The proposed change to Chapter 3-10 would, according to the hearing notice read by the mayor, alter rules for park parking and enforcement; the official text of the local law and any recommended penalty schedule were not read into the record during the public comment excerpt provided. The hearing record shows Hill’s statements and the mayor’s opening and closing remarks but does not show additional public commenters.

Next steps for Local Law No. 2 — whether the council will vote on adoption, amend the draft, or send it to a committee for further review — were not specified during the public hearing segment in the transcript.