Anyone spending the day this summer in Rehoboth Beach will not have to fish eight quarters from their pockets to pay for an hour of parking in the city's most sought after spaces.
After vocal opposition from property and business owners about a proposal to double the rate for some parking meters - taking them from $1 an hour to $2 - city officials have opted for compromise.
The new meter rate structure, which takes effect the Friday before Memorial Day, creates three parking tiers among prime spaces -- those on Rehoboth Avenue and the ocean blocks -- costing $1.50 an hour.
The next blocks to the west, including First Street, would cost $1.25. All others would remain at $1 an hour.
City officials had been considering the new rates to help manage parking and bring in more funds for capital improvement projects.
"It's a good compromise," said Browseabout Books owner Steve Crane. "It's nice to know your representatives were listening."
Crane, whose store is located on Rehoboth Avenue, made posters for fellow business owners to post in their windows that read: "Another local business against parking increases." The poster urged people to contact the officials and voice opposition to the increase.
Rehoboth City Commissioner Stan Mills said he received about 50 e-mails from constituents concerned about the $2 rate and another parking proposal that would extend the city's meter and permit season.
"We listened to everybody," he said. Rehoboth City Manager Greg Ferrese "came up with what we thought was a good compromise that still addressed parking management issues ... and still preserves funds for a capital improvement pool."
Ferrese said the new rate structure should generate just as much money for the city as the original plan to double rates and extend the season.
The new rate is not a done deal though, despite commissioners having approved this year's budget. Because the new rate proposal is drastically different from the original, officials will wait until next month to vote on it in order to provide ample public notice of the changes.
Rehoboth's new parking rate proposal is similar to those enforced in neighboring resort towns including: Dewey Beach, $1 an hour from May 15 to Sept. 15; Bethany Beach, $1.25 an hour from May 15 to Sept. 15; and Lewes, $1.50 an hour for beach parking and 50 cents an hour for the business district from May 1 to Oct. 15.
Those towns have also either raised their meter rates within the last year or are considering proposals to do so.
Lewes officials recently decided to increase their rate, in part to make up for a drop in transfer tax revenue. Lewes City Manager Tom Wontorek said the former rate of 75 cents an hour had been in place since 1997.
Bethany Beach also raised their rates last summer from $1 an hour to $1.25.
source: dailytimesonline.com