The proposal that will come before the council Thursday calls for the establishment of a revolving fund administered by the Council on Aging and replenished by fines for handicapped parking tickets.
A Westfield police officer shows handicapped placards confiscated there due to misuse.NORTHAMPTON – It might not buy a lot of Braille menus, but the City Council will look at putting money from handicapped parking violations into a fund for the disabled.
The proposal that will come before the council Thursday calls for the establishment of a revolving fund administered by the Council on Aging and replenished by fines for handicapped parking tickets. According to the City Auditor’s office, that amounted to $800 in fiscal 2011.
Ward 6 Councilor Marianne L. LaBarge, who represents the council on the Committee on Disabilities, said she and fellow councilor Eugene A. Tacy have been pushing the measure for about a year. According to LaBarge, the Council on Aging is sorely in need for money to fund a variety of projects.
“Believe me, they’ve had no money to work with,” she said, noting that the city budget provides no funding for programs for the disabled. “At least we’d be bringing in some money for them.”
LaBarge said the committee has already tried working with the Greater Northampton Chamber of Commerce and the Business Improvement District to get restaurants to offer menus in Braille for the sight-impaired.
“They can’t eat here in the city of Northampton,” she said.
Other potential uses for the money include handicapped signage, purchase of books and materials showing Americans With Disabilities regulations, educational programs, training costs, supervision of a website and the printing of “Access in Northampton” booklets. The Council on Aging, which administers some of those programs, is constantly strapped for cash, according to LaBarge.
“There are a lot of things they’d like to do and can’t,” she said.
The council recently established a number of revolving funds to pay for athletic fees, Aquatic Center costs, gift shop expenses at the Senior Center and other needs. They differ from enterprise funds in that they are not entirely self-replenishing. Council President David J. Narkewicz said the handicapped parking measure must come before the council so it can create a mechanism for that fund. Noting that proceeds from handicapped parking violations vary from year to year, LaBarge said there will also have to be a way for city officials to be updated on those funds.