Parking Advisory Committee

(a) The parking advisory board shall consist of nine members, seven appointed by the mayor with the approval of the city council, and two councilmembers appointed by the president of the city council annually.

(b) The advisory board shall annually elect a chairman. Each of the mayoral appointed advisory board members shall be appointed for three years, with the exception of the initial appointees. In such case, the terms shall be staggered as follows: two advisory board members shall be appointed for one year, two advisory board members shall be appointed for two years, and one advisory board member commissioner shall be appointed for three years.

(c) The advisory board shall advise the city council as to policies for the off-street downtown parking system, including parking meters, parking facilities, parking garages, alleyways, and handicapped parking, including any fees that may be charged; conduct hearings on on-street parking issues and prepare recommendations; and make inquiries into properties that may be suitable for off-street parking facilities.

(1) Two of the advisory board members shall be members of the city council, one a councilmember at large and one a ward councilmember. Of the seven advisory board members appointed by the mayor, at least one member shall be from the following:

a. Retailers (especially downtown retailers);

b. Office workers;

c. Multifamily residential (especially a resident of a downtown area);

d. The Holyoke Redevelopment Authority; and

e. Greater Holyoke Chamber of Commerce.

Four members shall serve as ex-officio members of the board: they shall be the chief of police or his designee, the city engineer or his designee, the planning director or his designee, the general superintendent of public works or his designee. The primary focus of the advisory board shall be parking in the downtown area, especially the area included in the comprehensive parking plan; the advisory board shall be available to study other areas in the city as requested by the city council.

(2) Any member may be reappointed after the expiration of his or her term. The reappointments by the mayor are subject to the approval of the city council.

(d) The advisory board shall not have the authority to create, amend, or delete ordinances, but shall serve as an advisory board to the city council. All requests on parking actions that go to the council, therefore, should be referred to the advisory board for hearings and recommendations.

(e) No member shall receive pay for his duties. The staff and resources of the planning department and the city engineer's office should be available, within reason, to provide technical assistance to the advisory board members.