The Spencerport Village Board of Trustees passed its first new local law of the year January 3, giving the village code enforcement officer the authority to write tickets for parking violations on village streets and in municipal parking lots.

"This is part three of a project commissioned by a former mayor in 1996, the parking and traffic flow study," said Trustee Theodore Rauber.

Since then, a committee has worked to first determine what parking and traffic flow problems exist in the village's downtown area, and then implementing new laws to ease them. New signs were added, time-limit parking was introduced on Main Street and in village lots, and lots and handicapped spaces were re-striped.

"After you do the first two, now you have to enforce what you did," Rauber said. "We have been working with the Ogden Police Department and will continue to work with them as we refine … how to and when to issue tickets."

The new law also gives the village building inspector authority to issue appearance tickets for zoning and building violations. Mayor Theodore Walker, Trustee Rauber, Trustee Tim Peer and Trustee Steve Russell voted in favor of the new law, following a public hearing not attended by any residents. Trustee Glenn Granger was absent.

Village Attorney Richard Olson spoke in favor of the new law. "As a business person who uses the public parking lots -- we need to do something," he said. He and Department of Public Works Superintendent Tom West told board members there will not be any compliance without penalties.

The village has put letters on windshields of frequent time-limit violators, and those parked illegally in handicapped spots, asking them to move their cars. According to Olson, the response has been, "When I start having to pay fines, I'll move my car."

"We have approached this for years in a gentle way," West said. "I have had people say, 'What are you going to do about it?' " said West. "There is nothing you can do about it."

Olson said the new law should be used to ticket frequent violators, and those causing obstruction to traffic. However, isolated incidents, such as a resident giving a party with cars parked on the street, could be overlooked, he said. "We don't want someone just cruising up and down the street writing tickets if there is not a problem," he said.

"The intent of this law is not to go out and blatantly put all these tickets on cars," said Walker. He said the intent is to have the power in case it is needed.

However, even with the new law, there may not be anyone with the authority to write parking tickets. Russell brought up several concerns he had with the new law, including whether or not the village has a code enforcement officer.

Officially, Scott Zarnstorff is the village's building inspector, not the code enforcement officer, according to Olson. That gives him the authority to issue appearance tickets for building and zoning violations only.

"If we don't have a code enforcement officer, we don't have a parking guy," said Olson. "We have to be precise in titles and authorization."

Russell urged the board to review code of other villages, like Fairport, before putting the new law into practice to avoid court challenges to any tickets.

"I look at (passing the law at the board meeting) as a baby step. The legislation is there. The next step is to refine it," said Rauber.

Walker added, "We will follow up with a definition of the code enforcement officer, and request a procedure be set up and reviewed."

The village board plans to hold a public hearing next month on another traffic issue, adding two new stop signs on Luther Jacobs Way at Coventry Drive. Residents concerned with speeding in the area had asked the board to consider the safety measure. The issue was sent to the planning board which studied the matter and recommended adding the signs.

Another petition regarding speeding in the village has been received by the board of trustees. About 40 residents signed the petition asking for speed bumps or additional law enforcement in the area of Mill and Cottage Streets and Bauer's Cove.

Walker said that since the problems are limited to the time when school is letting out for the day, village officials would ask the Ogden Police Department to put an officer in the area at that time.