REHOBOTH BEACH, Del. - At the Rehoboth Beach Mayors and Commissioners meeting on Friday, October 20th, the Rehoboth Beach Parking Department reported there was a decrease in parking revenue this summer compared to last summer. The city explained to CoastTV that they made an error when calculating the total.
Evan Miller, the Assistant City Manager for Rehoboth Beach explained, "Most recently when we were reconciling the accounts, one of the things we had not accounted for in the presentation was the surcharge we charge at the meters to help recoup some of the cost associated with merchant processing and things like that." Miller continued, "so really the end of the summer what we saw was we were about 20,000 dollars more in parking revenue in comparison to last year."
According to the city, they see a decrease in visitors paying for parking with coins every year. Instead of fixing the two change machines in Rehoboth Beach, the city says they will be removing one of the machines. According to recent data the city pulled, people use the mobile parking app the most out of any parking payment method.
Jeff Housman, the co-owner of EC Shades in Rehoboth Beach says he agrees with the city's decision to get rid of the change machine.
"It used to be, back when it was the old fashion meters, we would probably go through maybe 4-5 rolls of quarters a day for people asking for change, I have not had anybody ask for quarters in two years," said Housman.
People say the parking meter system in Rehoboth Beach can be stressful at times, which is why some people choose to take the bus instead.
"For instance, my dad whom lives with us, he has come down a couple times and he gets so frustrated with that system that he just goes back home or he goes to the park and ride and he even takes the bus into town", stated Chad Miller, owner of Pet Wants in Rehoboth Beach.
A frequent problem the city says they see is people putting in the incorrect license plate number into the meter system. The city says they are possibly looking to decrease the citation charge for first time violators who make the mistake.