Holyoke disability commission seeks revolving account for handicapped-parking fines; finance committee asks for clearer legal language

The Holyoke Commission on Disability on June 27 described its multi-month effort to obtain local access to a state-authorized revolving account — referred to in the meeting as “22 g” — that would let the city use handicapped-parking fines for programs serving disabled residents.

Lynn Horan, chair of the Holyoke Commission on Disability, said the commission and mayor’s office developed categories for the account and submitted an order to the city finance committee that would create an ongoing, revolving funding source drawn from fines for handicapped-parking violations. “We would like to have access to those funds,” Horan said.

The commission emphasized why it sees a revolving 22 g account as preferable to an annual line-item request: it would give more predictable, multi-year funding for assistive services, transportation and other supports the commission identified. “Stability” was the word Horan used repeatedly to describe the intended benefit to disabled residents.

Commission members and the mayor’s staff told the commission that the mayor’s draft budget included two line items…