The board of trustees decided last week not to raise the two-hour parking fine and instead, amend the law to allow officers to issue more than one ticket to a vehicle for an ongoing violation in the same space.

The board had discussed the possibility of raising the parking fine in April, but took no action. This month, police committee chairman Paul Kuhn again brought up the idea. Kuhn said police officers often hear comments from visitors that the $20 fine is a cheap price for all-day parking. The current fine, he said, does not act as a deterrent to over-limit parking.

"If we don't raise the fine, we will have people parking all day long," he told the board. "The whole committee feels very strongly that they have to be raised. I personally favor $50.00."

Police chief Diana Nicols gave the board a survey of other cities and villages and what they charge for parking fines. Some municipalities, she discovered, had a permit system and others were able to ticket cars more than once if the over-limit violation continued.

"I do believe the fines should go up, but $50.00 is stiff. I think it's a little too much," said mayor Carol Waller.

Kuhn countered with a motion to raise the two-hour parking fine to $35.00, but received only lukewarm support.

Milo Stewart said he didn't think the standard fine should be raised, but that the village should change its law to allow the police to ticket the violator every two hours if the vehicle doesn't move.

Glenn Hubbell commented that he was concerned about Main Street businesses and the idea that higher parking tickets may scare away customers.

"They'll all go down to Hartwick Seminary," he said. "I thought raising it to $30.00 was fine.

Stuart Taugher said he also favored being able to re-ticket vehicles.

The vote on Kuhn's motion ended in a tie with the mayor casting a deciding "no" vote.

A second motion to raise the fine to $30.00 also failed.

Stewart then presented and the trustees passed a motion to leave the fine at $20.00 and amend the law to allow for multiple tickets to be issued.

Waller said she thinks the fine needs to go up, but is concerned about it going up this year with the trolley lots full and fewer than normal spaces available. Bassett Hospital is currently using the blue trolley lot south of the village and typically there are 50 to 70 cars parked there each day.

In the first four months of the year, the police have written 746 parking tickets - an average of just over 186 a month.

In other police business,

• police chief Nicols reported that she received the highest score on the police chief test among those taking it. Passing the test was one of the conditions placed on her employment last fall, following the retirement of long-time chief Michael Crippen.

• Kuhn reported the police committee is working with the town of Otsego and NYS Department of Transportation in an effort to lower the speed limit on route 28 just south of the village. He said he would like to see them lower the limit from 45 mph to 30 mph at the Church and Scott Pharmacy. That way, he said, vehicles would already be slowed down to the 30 mph village speed limit when they cross the village line. He said the DOT has not been receptive.