The following words, when used in this article, shall have the meanings ascribed to them in this section, except in those instances where the context clearly indicates otherwise:
METER
Meter(s) referred to in this chapter shall include but not be limited to multispace meters (kiosks) and parking mobile payment applications authorized by the City of Schenectady.
[Amended 8-10-2020 by Ord. No. 2020-10]
OPERATOR
Every individual who shall operate a vehicle as the owner thereof, or as the agent, employee or permittee of the owner, or who is in actual physical control of a vehicle.
PARK, PARKING or PARKED
The stopping of a motor vehicle upon any public highway and leaving such motor vehicle unattended, by a person capable of operating it, for a period longer than necessary to load or unload passengers or freight.
STREET
Any public street, avenue, road, boulevard, highway or other public place located in the City and established for the use of vehicles.[1]
TOKEN
A metallic piece, resembling a coin, issued by the City of Schenectady for use in the City of Schenectady's parking meters.
[Added 10-30-1989 by Ord. No. 89-71]
VEHICLE
Any device in, upon or by which any person or property is or may be transported upon a highway, except a device which is operated upon rails or tracks.
[1]
Editor's Note: The former definition of "token," which immediately followed this definition, was repealed 8-10-2020 by Ord. No. 2020-10.
[Added 6-27-2005 by Ord. No. 2005-10; amended 11-27-2006 by Ord. No. 2006-16; 6-14-2010 by Ord. No. 2010-09; 7-19-2010 by Ord. No. 2010-13; 10-28-2013 by Ord. No. 2013-26; 8-10-2020 by Ord. No. 2020-10]
Meters shall be calibrated to charge an hourly rate, which rate shall be set by the Mayor or his or her designee.
It is hereby declared to be the purpose of the City to use parking meters as a means, but not as an exclusive means, for governing or restricting the parking or standing of vehicles in the streets and public places of the City for the convenience, safety and accommodation of the public and the relieving of traffic congestion.
[Amended 7-30-1979 by Ord. No. 79-76; 6-23-2014 by Ord. No. 2014-18; 8-10-2020 by Ord. No. 2020-10]
The City Engineer shall determine where to place kiosks on City streets in furtherance of the purpose set forth in § 248-64. Such determinations are subject to amendment or repeal in accordance with § 248-14 of this chapter.
[Amended 6-23-2014 by Ord. No. 2014-18; 8-10-2020 by Ord. No. 2020-10]
[1]Parking meters installed in the parking meter zones established as provided in § 248-65. Kiosks shall be placed upon the sidewalk or curb in close vicinity to the individual parking places hereinafter described. Each parking meter shall indicate by a proper legend the legal parking or standing time established by the City and, when operated, shall indicate on and by its face or display a signal for the duration of the period of legal parking or standing and on the expiration of such period of legal parking or standing shall indicate illegal parking or standing by a signal on its face. Each kiosk shall dispense a receipt indicating the amount of time allotted.
[1]
Editor's Note: Former Sec. 28-118, Duty to park in a single space, which immediately followed this section, was deleted 6-2-1986 by L.L. No. 3-1986.
[Added 12-10-1990 by Ord. No. 90-79; amended 4-29-1991 by Ord. No. 91-18; 3-16-1992 by Ord. No. 92-06]
A. 
The Parking Division Supervisor is hereby granted authority to:
(1) 
Appoint Citywide parking attendants.
(2) 
Supervise the Citywide parking attendants.
(3) 
Enforce all local parking rules in the downtown area.
(4) 
Initiate enforcement procedures against owners of motor vehicles or their representatives pursuant to § 401 Subdivision 5a, of the State of New York Vehicle and Traffic Law and any other enforcement procedures available to him under New York State Law.
B. 
An administrative fee of $15 shall be due and payable for each group of summons charged to the vehicle whose registration was not renewed pursuant to § 401, Subdivision 5-a, of the Vehicle and Traffic Law or suspended pursuant to other New York State law and shall be in addition to fines provided for in § 248-3 of the Schenectady Code.
[Amended 9-5-1989 by Ord. No. 89-63; 6-23-2014 by Ord. No. 2014-18; 8-10-2020 by Ord. No. 2020-10]
When a parking space in any multispace parking zone is parallel to the adjacent curb or sidewalk, any vehicle parked or standing in such parking space shall be parked or shall stand so that such vehicle shall be as near to the parking kiosk as possible that will allow other vehicles to park in close proximity to the kiosk but also vehicles to exit without difficulty; when a parking space in any parking zone is diagonal to the curb or sidewalk, any vehicle parked or standing in such parking space shall be parked or shall stand with the extreme front of such vehicle nearest to such curbline.
[Amended 6-1-1971 by Ord. No. 15517; 6-2-1986 by L.L. No. 2-1986; 6-23-2014 by Ord. No. 2014-18; 8-10-2020 by Ord. No. 2020-10]
A. 
When any vehicle shall occupy any space under control of a meter located in accordance with the provisions of this article, the operator shall, upon entering said parking space, immediately deposit or cause to be deposited in such meter monies of the United States to obtain such time period as indicated upon the meter. If the meter has the ability to accept credit or debit cards, they can be used in lieu of coinage. Failure to deposit such monies, as hereinbefore prescribed, shall constitute a breach of this article. Upon the deposit of such monies as hereinbefore prescribed and placing said meter in operation, the parking space may be lawfully occupied by such vehicle during the period of time prescribed hereinbefore in § 248-65. If said vehicle shall occupy such parking space beyond the period so prescribed, such vehicle shall be considered as parked or standing overtime and beyond the period of legal parking or standing time in any such part of a street where any such parking meter is located and shall be a violation of this article and punishable as hereinafter set forth.
B. 
In the event that any person parks a vehicle at a meter and overstays that limit indicated at that meter or the printed receipt, such person shall be subject to an additional ticket or tickets for any period of time that they violate the time limit indicated at the meter and shall be punishable as herein set forth.
[Amended 8-10-2020 by Ord. No. 2020-10]
Commercial vehicles may occupy parking meter spaces for a reasonable length of time for the purpose of loading or unloading of their vehicles without depositing such monies as herein before prescribed in the parking meter. Commercial vehicles parked or standing in such parking meter areas and not engaged in loading or unloading shall be required to deposit such monies as hereinbefore prescribed in the same manner as other vehicles.
It shall be unlawful for any person or operator to cause, allow, permit or suffer any vehicle registered in the name of or operated by such person to be parked or to stand overtime or beyond the period of legal parking or standing time established for any parking meter zone as herein described.
[Amended 8-10-2020 by Ord. No. 2020-10]
It shall be unlawful for any person to deposit or cause to be deposited in a parking meter a coin, a credit card, or other form of payment for the purpose of increasing or extending the parking or standing time of any vehicle beyond the period herein before prescribed.
[Amended 9-5-1989 by Ord. No. 89-64]
It shall be unlawful to deposit or cause to be deposited in any parking meter any slug, device or metallic substitutes for legal coins of the United States except those authorized by the City.
[Amended 9-28-1992 by Ord. No. 92-48]
A. 
It shall be unlawful for any person to deface, injure, tamper with, open or willfully break, destroy or impair the usefulness of any parking meter installed under the provisions of this article.[1]
[1]
Editor's Note: Former Subsection B, Merchants tokens, which immediately followed this subsection, was repealed 8-10-2020 by Ord. No. 2020-10
[Amended 9-5-1989 by Ord. No. 89-61; 12-10-1990 by Ord. No. 90-78]
A. 
The following people shall be authorized to report violations of this article:
(1) 
Police officers of the City of Schenectady and such other designated and appointed personnel acting in accordance with instructions issued by the Chief of Police.
(2) 
Any designated and appointed personnel, including but not limited to meter attendants, acting in accordance with the instructions and under the supervision of the Parking Division Supervisor.
B. 
Any person authorized by this section to report a violation of the article shall set forth the following:[1]
(1) 
The state license number of such vehicle.
(2) 
The time, date and location at which such vehicle was found to be in violation of any of the provisions of this article.
[Amended 8-10-2020 by Ord. No. 2020-10]
(3) 
Any other facts, a knowledge of which is necessary for a thorough understanding of the circumstances attending such violation.
[1]
Editor's Note: Former Subsection B(1), requiring the number of the parking meter, was repealed 8-10-2020 by Ord. No. 2020-10. This ordinance also redesignated former Subsections B(2) through (4) as Subsection B(1) through (3).
[Amended 6-2-1986 by L.L. No. 2-1986; 9-5-1989 by Ord. No. 89-62]
Each police officer and such designated and appointed personnel shall also place on such vehicle a notice to the owner thereof that such vehicle has been parked or has been standing in violation of the provisions of this article.[1]
[1]
Editor's Note: Former Sec. 28-128, Removing violated vehicles, which immediately followed this section, was deleted 6-2-1986 by L.L. No. 3-1986.
  In any prosecution or proceeding hereunder, the registration plate displayed on a motor vehicle shall raise in evidence a prima facie presumption that the owner of such vehicle was the person who parked or stood such vehicle at the place where such violation occurred.
[Amended 7-30-1979 by Ord. No. 79-76; 12-10-1990 by Ord. No. 90-80]
A. 
The Parking Division Supervisor shall provide for the maintenance of parking meters.
B. 
The Director of Finance shall provide for the collection of coins from parking meters.
[Amended 7-30-1979 by Ord. No. 79-76]
The City Engineer may temporarily suspend the provisions of this article or may issue such temporary rules or regulations under this article as may be required.
Any person, whether as principal or agent, violating or assisting in the violation of any of the provisions set forth in §§ 248-73 and 248-74 shall, upon conviction thereof, be sentenced to pay a fine not exceeding $50 and in default of the payment of such fine shall be imprisoned for a period not exceeding five days.[1]
[1]
Editor's Note: Former Sec. 28-133B, which set forth penalties for parking and standing violations and which immediately followed this section, was deleted 6-2-1986 by L.L. No. 3-1986.
[Amended 8-10-2020 by Ord. No. 2020-10]
The monies deposited in parking meters, as provided herein, are hereby levied and assessed as fees to provide for the proper regulation and control of traffic upon the public streets and also for the cost of supervising and regulating the parking or standing of vehicles in the parking meter zones created hereby and to cover the cost of the purchase, supervision, protection, inspection, installation, operation, maintenance, control and use of the parking meters described herein.[1]
[1]
Editor's Note: Former Sec. 28-135, Effect on other regulations, which immediately followed this section, was deleted 6-2-1986 by L.L. No. 3-1986.
[1]
Editor's Note: Former § 248-84, Sale of tokens, added 10-30-1989 by Ord. No. 89-72, was repealed 8-10-2020 by Ord. No. 2020-10.