Belleville Pauses Handicap Parking Permits To Probe Possible ‘Abuse’

BELLEVILLE, NJ — Belleville is temporarily pausing the issuance of new handicap parking permits so the town can check for potential “abuse” of the system.

Existing permits are still valid while the review process is underway. The town will continue to accept applications until the audit is finished – possibly within a few weeks, officials say.

Mayor Michael Melham mentioned the topic in a recent social media post, adding that he was requesting more information and planning to bring up the issue at the next town council meeting.

Melham acknowledged that “while there may be instances of abuse in the handicapped parking allocation, the solution should never be to eliminate the service entirely.”

“The [police department] vets each request through application reviews and onsite assessments,” he said. “If the problem lies within our existing rules and policies, then it's our responsibility to refine and enforce them – not to strip away the rights of those who genuinely depend on these accommodations.”

Melham, township manager Brian Banda and police chief Mark Minichini spoke about the permits at the Jan. 28 meeting (watch the video below, or view it online here).

Here was the mayor’s roundup of the discussion:

“Currently, there is a 'pause' in issuing new permits. This decision was not mine. The exact start date of this pause remains unclear, but it has been in place for at least a month. Additionally, the police department is conducting annual reviews. If you have an existing permit, you should have already received your renewal paperwork. Please complete and submit this as soon as possible. The police department will propose changes to the council aimed at curbing abuse in the system. These proposals will be subject to a public hearing and vote.”

Minichini said all the people who currently have handicap parking permits are being asked to resubmit. “It's an audit, because some people [have] become deceased,” he explained.

“If anyone on this council does not think they're being abused, then you're in a fantasy land,” the chief added. “We’re going to attempt to fix that.”

Minichini said the town isn’t going to deny anyone who legitimately needs a permit. “That's not what we're here for,” he said. “But we're going to update the system.”

Minichini said things may be up and running again “sometime within the next month.”

The chief said Belleville isn’t alone: Bloomfield is also “on pause” right now as the town probes for potential abuse in its handicap parking permit system.

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