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Passaic council adopts clergy-parking permit ordinance after debate over eligibility and enforcement
Summary
Council approved ordinance 25-04-25 authorizing clergy-parking permits for houses of worship, after members debated whether permits should depend on existing off‑street parking and how signage, hours and funeral needs would be handled; administration said applications will be evaluated case‑by‑case and enforcement follows standard parking procedures.
The Passaic City Council adopted ordinance 25-04-25 on Nov. 10 to create clergy-parking permits in the city's vehicles-and-traffic code.
Councilman Monk asked whether the permits should be limited to institutions that lack off‑street parking and raised practical concerns about how reserved spaces would help during funerals or other events. Mister Fernandez (administration) and other council members responded that the ordinance requires each application to be considered individually and that adequacy of existing off‑street parking will be a factor in review.
Council members also discussed signage and restricted hours for designated clergy spaces. One council member cited code language requiring markings that state "clergy parking only," the days and hours the restriction applies and penalty information; administration said that the sign and hours framework is intended to be broadly consistent with what other municipalities do and that disputes would be resolved through the city's traffic division.
The administration emphasized that many houses of worship in Passaic lack large parking lots because of the city's age and density and that clergy permits are intended to address operational needs such as funerals, special services and handicapped access for older religious leaders. The council debated narrow versus broad eligibility but ultimately moved and seconded the ordinance and approved it on roll call.
The ordinance sets a framework for application review and enforcement; the administration said staff will monitor use, receive complaints and report back to the council if problems arise.
