Lynn councilor targets two depts.

LYNN – Councilor-at-large Daniel Cahill wants a fine-tooth examination of the city’s Parking Department and the Off-street Parking Commission which oversees it, contending the system of providing municipal parking and collecting revenues in Lynn is archaic, wasteful and in need of reform.Although Cahill has alleged no wrongdoing on the part of Parking Commissioner Jay Fenton, nor any commissioner or member of the Parking Department, he vowed this week to pursue the matter – with or without help from his colleagues.Cahill has requested a public hearing in late May, but it was clear at Tuesday’s council meeting that not every councilor shares his view of the situation.According to Cahill, the Off-street Parking Commission was established in 1956 as a means of providing off-street parking and to promote commerce, but has since outlived its usefulness. After filing a Freedom of Information Act request and reviewing documents related to parking in Lynn, Cahill determined change was in order. “It was a real learning experience,” he said Tuesday.The commission is comprised of five Lynn residents appointed by the mayor and confirmed by the council. As volunteers, the members receive no pay for overseeing the Parking Department. The commission is empowered to hire employees and make other key decisions regarding the city’s municipal parking lots and metered zones.At a recent meeting, the commission voted to extend Fenton’s contract, along with his $112,000 salary, for three years. Cahill was incensed because no input from the mayor or city council was required, yet the decision has financial impact on Lynn taxpayers.”We need to gain more control of the Parking Department and the Parking Commission,” he said. “We need to take a more active role.”Cahill wants the Parking Commission abolished and the Parking Department brought under the city’s Department of Inspectional Services. He would also transfer two Parking Department clerks to the Collector’s Office in an effort to halt cash transactions in other parts of City Hall.The Parking Department currently collects fines and fees. Other municipal departments channel those responsibilities through the Collector’s Office.Cahill noted that the Parking Department budget is inadequate to make necessary improvements to the municipal parking system and, as a result, must seek funds from the city treasury. However, any taxpayer dollars transferred to the Parking Department would still remain under control of the Parking Commission, a situation Cahill wants changed. “We would have no control over how it was spent,” he said, calling attention to seemingly questionable funding transfers, policy decisions and work schedules.Last year, the Parking Department raised $1.27 million in revenue through fines and fees. Of that, about $81,000 was returned to the Parking Commission for operational expenses. The remaining Parking Department surplus totaled $345,000.Cahill has asked for a dollar-by-dollar audit of the department’s revenues and expenses, starting with Fenton’s salary and continuing downward to specific parking lots and meter. In an effort to accommodate Cahill, Council President Timothy Phelan on Tuesday asked Chief Financial Officer Richard Fortucci to create a report within two weeks that lays out the structure and finances of the Parking Department and the commission. Phelan made the request after some city councilors complained Cahill’s information packet was large, unwieldy, and might require many days, if not weeks, to digest.Cahill also criticized the use of taxpayer dollars from the city’s Department of Public Works spent to remove snow from municipal parking lots. He again pointed out the spending the taxpayer money on operations not under control of the mayor or council.Questioned by several councilors, Fenton on Tuesday defended his department and the commission, acknowledging that both are intertwined with other departments, such as public works and police. He explained that revenue g