Parking Tickets Issued During Hurricane Irene to Be Dismissed

The Village of Nyack is saying the —a decision that miffed a number of residents—were not policy, and the result of a specific parking enforcement officer.

As a result, all tickets issued between 4 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 27 and 11 a.m. Monday, Aug. 29 will be dismissed, officials said.

In a missive posted to the village website, officials note parking officers were given orders not to ticket vehicles.

"We instructed our parking enforcement agents not to issue tickets during the storm and to focus on higher, more critical priorities," the post reads. "One of our senior agents, however, did issue tickets for vehicles that he thought might create problems for first responders."

Earlier this week, Nyack mayor Richard Kavesh noted the village did not decide to enact free side street parking during Irene in order to make room for police, fire and DPW vehicles. "We wanted to keep these streets clear for emergency vehicles,"he said. The Riverspace lot was free from late-afternoon Saturday to Monday morning, however.

When residents found the familiar white slips on their windshield after , they sounded off on Patch, calling the fines "cold," "draconian" and "heartless."