John W. Mulligan Jr. of Augusta Street said he is grateful that the police have upped its presence at the lot, which is located off lower Augusta Street, but while police are issuing tickets when there, the problem simply resumes when the police leave.
Mulligan said he’s concerned about the safety of his child, who is deaf, as well as all children using streets near the lot when walking to school or playing.
“Spring’s coming up,” he said. “Kids will be out riding their bikes.”
Business Administrator Camille Tooker said that NJ Transit is responsible for the lot.
Mayor Fred Henry said he would contact the police department about increasing enforcement again.
Mulligan also said he is dismayed at the commuters who are using the side streets near the train station for parking, limiting the available spots for him and his neighbors. He said he wanted to know if the council had considered limiting the side streets to residents only and issuing stickers to identify them.
“Too many parking spots are being taken up by commuters,” he said. “They’re parking right in front of the house and they don’t give a crap.”
Officials said they would consider the issue.
However, Mulligan’s other concern was not as well received by officials. He said he didn’t think it was fair, that as a landlord, that he is responsible for ensuring his tenants remove their garbage cans from the side of their house.
“I can’t touch my tenants’ stuff, but I get the ticket because I own the house,” he said. “What’s the big issue with our garbage cans being on the side of the house?”
He also said he felt that two-family houses, which he lives in, as well as businesses are being unfairly targeted for tickets.
“The basic reason is to try to keep the place clean,” Henry said, adding that the council had passed an ordinance last year to keep buildings looking orderly.
Officials said that code enforcement was applying the ordinance fairly.
“They’re honest and they do a good job,” Council President Mickey Gross said of code enforcement. “They don’t single anyone out.”
Mulligan maintained his position that if the council looked into the amount of tickets written, the numbers would show more tickets are written for two-family houses and businesses.
Tooker said the city would look unsightly if everyone disregarded the ordinance and recommended that Mulligan do what she believes other landlords do: write a provision into the lease that the tenant will pay for any code enforcement tickets.
