DEWEY BEACH, Del. - The town of Dewey Beach says it is currently looking for more ways to bring in revenue since there is no property tax in Dewey. On top of there being no property tax, the town says it is trying to increase revenue in order to keep up with inflation. On Tuesday, November 14th, at the Budget and Finance Committee meeting, the committee proposed a few solutions to the problem. The committee suggested the town increase the hourly parking rate by 50 cents to a dollar or eliminate two of the free parking nights in the summer, which are currently Monday through Wednesday.
Bill Zolper, Dewey Beach Town Manager, explained to CoastTV, "Nobody in Dewey Beach wants a property tax, right, but everybody wants to have all the services and the police." Zolper continued, "To do that we have to raise revenue somehow, and the least impactful way to do that is by raising parking rates because most of the property owners have the ability to park without having to pay for parking."
Bruce Mann, who is a frequent visitor to Dewey Beach, worries increasing the price of hourly parking could hurt the town, especially the businesses.
"You have so many businesses here that are reliant on people coming into town, I know I come in for the restaurants, and the other activities that go on here, so increasing parking could hurt business and business is your livelihood," explained Mann.
Mann suggested that the town possibly extend the paid parking period instead of increasing the cost, but that's something the town says its not considering.
At this time the town of Dewey Beach says there is no final decision as to whether or not parking rules will change. The commissioners will discuss the topic at the December town council meeting.