Wildwood Reduces Hike to Beachside Parking Permit Fees

WILDWOOD — At a March 24 meeting, City Commissioners yielded a bit of ground to parking permit buyers, reducing the proposed cost for a spot near the beach from $600 to $400.
The city wants to issue two classes of parking permits — Class A, now at $400, would be for any metered spot in the city including those between the Boardwalk and Atlantic Avenue; Class B would allow parking at meters west of Atlantic Avenue at a cost $100 if purchased before April 15 and $150 after that date.
Last year, a permit cost $75 to park at any meter in the city.
“We all received many calls saying the fee was too high,” Mayor Gary DeMarzo said.
DeMarzo noted that each meter produces about $1,000 seasonally for the city and questioned whether it was worth it for the city to continue giving away a service worth that much for a mere fraction of its potential value.
Commissioner Al Brannen suggested the $400 figure. DeMarzo and Commissioner Edward Harshaw agreed.
Dan Schindler, owner of Sunglass Emporium on the Boardwalk, had been the most vocal opponent of the increase.
He said he understood the city’s desire to increase revenues with the condition of the current state of the economy, but felt the increase was too much. He proposed a gradual increase to $150 this year and similar increases in coming years.
“At $600, the increase was 700 percent,” Schindler said. “That’s just plain wrong.”
He doesn’t think the city’s new figure is much better.
“At $400, it’s still more than a 400 percent increase,” he said, but to no avail.
Commissioners on March 10 introduced an ordinance with the $600 figure. That ordinance was scheduled to be adopted after a public hearing on March 24. Since, the governing body changed the fee to $400, the measure will have another public hearing at the April 14 Commission meeting.
Other sections of the ordinance included: parking in metered areas limited to eight hours and residents in metered zones without driveways are eligible for free parking placard. Commissioners also decided to include a provision that would allow residents to park in front of their own driveways.
The city will be installing up to 500 parking meters in areas that are currently not metered. The city also has plans to implement pay-by-mobile phone meters that allow parkers to pay using their cell phone as well as receive warnings when their time is running out.
With these parking initiatives, commissioners hope to add thousands of dollars to city coffers and reduce taxes for local property owners.