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Holyoke committee tables measure to direct handicap-parking fines to Disabilities Commission
Summary
The Holyoke Finance Committee heard from the Commission on Disabilities about creating an independent budget funded by handicap-parking fines under state law, then voted to table action until June 24 for more information on collections and enforcement costs.
The Holyoke City Finance Committee on May 27 heard a request from the Commission on Disabilities to set up an independent account for handicap-parking fine revenue under state law, but members tabled the measure until June 24 to gather additional data.
Commission on Disabilities chair Lynn Horan told the committee the commission had asked the city to accept the provisions of Mass. Gen. Laws ch. 40, §22G to “allocate all funds received from fines assessed for violations of handicap parking” to a separate account for the commission’s use. Horan said the commission reviewed five years of tax-collector data and identified about 850 handicap-parking citations in the five-year window used for the analysis.
“The independent budget that is described in the Massachusetts law … allows for revolving. So what that means is we would always have a budget,” Horan said, adding the commission requested a $36,000 appropriation for fiscal 2025 as an initial operating figure drawn from those fines.
Several councilors pressed for detail on how much handicap-parking revenue the city actually collects, how enforcement and staff costs are allocated, and what portion of fines are unpaid, dismissed or never become revenue. “If I don’t want to have it where I’m passing something that just removes $255,000 out of the budget when you only need $36,000, so my question is why don’t we just give you the $36,000?” said Councillor Jourdain.
Councillor Izzy Rivera urged the city to track “time on task” for officers and contractors who enforce parking rules so the council can evaluate net revenue after enforcement costs. Rory in the treasury office and Laura, the tax collector, were cited by Horan as sources of the parking-data figures; Horan said she would distribute the underlying spreadsheet and a list of individual handicap citations to councilors.
Kelly Curran, the city’s ADA officer and personnel director, spoke in support and said the mayor and council had indicated support for a $36,000 allocation in the city budget. Horan said Jeffrey Dugan of the Massachusetts Office on Disability had offered to consult with the council on how municipalities implement the statute.
After discussion, the committee voted to table the item to the June 24 meeting and requested more detailed revenue and enforcement breakdowns from treasury and the tax collector and, if possible, participation by the law department or Jeffrey Dugan for legal interpretation.
Why it matters: Accepting the state statute would earmark revenue from handicap-parking fines for programs and services identified by the Commission on Disabilities, changing where that revenue is recorded and who proposes its expenditures. Committee members said they need clearer figures on actual collections, enforcement costs and how unpaid or reversed citations affect projected revenue.
The committee did not take a final vote to adopt the statute; it directed staff to provide financial detail and explore legal nuances before the matter returns in June.
