The ParkMobile cashless parking system is another option for motorists in Sea Isle.
By DONALD WITTKOWSKI
In Sea Isle City, the hottest ticket in town may very well be a parking permit.
Each spring when the seasonal parking permits go on sale, long lines form around the sidewalk as though people are camping out for concert tickets.
But in 2024, there may be some sticker shock when people buy their seasonal and weekly parking permits.
City Council introduced an ordinance Tuesday that will raise the price of seasonal parking permits from $250 to $450 each. Weekly parking permits will go from $50 to $80 each.
There will be a public hearing and final vote on the ordinance at the Jan. 9 Council meeting at 10 a.m. in City Hall.
Sea Isle officials explained that higher fees are needed to pay for the parking permit program.
“It’s designed to make the program self-sufficient,” City Solicitor Paul Baldini said.
Parking permits routinely sell out each year.
Parking is at a premium during Sea Isle’s bustling summer tourism season, making the permits a highly coveted prize. The city forbids the parking permits from being resold.
The seasonal permits routinely sell out each year, with demand particularly heavy on the first day they go on sale in the spring. They are sold on a first come, first served basis.
Normally, 400 or 500 seasonal parking permits are sold by the city each year. For 2024, the number will be capped at 450. Customers will be limited to no more than three seasonal parking permits each. The permits will be transferrable from vehicle to vehicle, according to the new ordinance.
There are no limits on the number of weekly parking permits sold throughout the year. City Clerk Shannon Romano said the weekly permits in 2024 will offer motorists the advantage of parking for eight days, not seven.
Typically, high demand for the parking permits is an indication that Sea Isle is primed for a strong summer season – just like with the robust sale of beach tags.
Sea Isle charges for parking from May 15 to Labor Day. The seasonal and weekly permits allow drivers to park in the municipal lots and individual parking spaces. They save motorists from the headache of worrying about getting a ticket.
Parking permits will be “hanger type” placards that must be displayed on a vehicle’s rear-view mirror. Motorists who don’t properly display the permits will risk getting a parking ticket.
“Whatever car it’s hanging from is good. But if it’s not hanging, they will get a ticket,” City Council President J.B. Feeley said.
The ParkMobile cashless parking system is another option for motorists in Sea Isle.
Drivers who don’t have seasonal or weekly parking permits must pay using the cashless ParkMobile app that was introduced in Sea Isle in 2021. Sea Isle got rid of its old parking meters and kiosks in 2022 while transitioning to the ParkMobile system.
There is another option for people who may not feel comfortable using the app. They may call a toll-free number listed on the ParkMobile signs to speak to the company’s customer service center and use their credit card to pay for parking over the phone.
