WWAY INVESTIGATION: How much money do beach town parking meters really bring in?

WILMINGTON, NC (WWAY) — From $375,000 to $2.6 million, that’s how much some of our beach towns bring in from parking fees each year. But not all of that money, or in some cases even half of that money, is available to the town.

To visitors it’s a few coins here or a swipe there. A ticking meter means a day at the beach. To Wrightsville Beach business owner Dave Monaghan, a ticking meter means fewer visitors for him.

“Look at how empty that street is,” Monaghan said. “That’s had a major impact on my business. I have one little parking lot and that’s it.”

So what are those meters feeding? Town Manager Tim Owens said just about everything.

“The money pays for the actual parking program itself,” Owens said. “It also helps provide for more police officers and the ability to pick up trash on a daily basis.”

But that’s not all Owens said the town is envisioning for that money. He said that money could also be used for future dredging projects if needed.

“We’re looking at the sand issues and the lack of state and federal funding,” Owens said.

Beach re-nourishment is the reason Topsail Beach considered those ticking meters last spring. Tim Holloman is the former town manager of Topsail Beach. Now he’s Oak Island’s town manager. He said when budgets cuts weren’t enough, paid parking came into play for both of those beaches.

“Property owners were already paying tax, so how do you capture funds from the people who are only coming in for day trips or are not buying there or are not staying there for a week?” Holloman said. “How do you capture that dollar?”

Holloman said the answer to that question never comes easily.

“The community is always divided on paid parking,” Holloman said.

Those communities decided against paid parking for now. Is paid parking right for every beach community?

“It’s a local decision,” Owens said. “I think some communities might not have as many visitors as we do so it may not even break even.”

Because that ticking meter has to pay for the ticking meter before extra police officers, sand or trash pickup can even come into the picture. For Carolina Beach last year, the cost to manage parking was about $317,000. For Wrightsville Beach that number is closer to half a million dollars.

“I know it’s a major source revenue for the Town of Wrightsville Beach, but I don’t know how many other beach towns have this many meters,” Monaghan said.

In Wrightsville Beach, there are about 1,500 spaces that require some kind of payment from a meter or a pay station. In Carolina Beach, there are 824.  After paying the cost of those 824 ticking meters, Carolina Beach was able to put about $55,000 back into the general fund. Wrightsville Beach was able to put $2.1 million back.

“Hopefully it’s being well spent,” Monaghan said.

Because Monaghan said the way Wrightsville Beach handles those meters isn’t always fair.

“Especially where they elect to put them,” Monaghan said.

He said for six years meters did not sit in front of his business or the rest of the street.

“This is a retail area,” Monaghan said. “They don’t park here to go to the beach all day long.”

He said people park there specifically to visit those businesses, and now they have to feed that meter to do so.

“That’s an additional cost to a menu, which I don’t think is very fair,” Monaghan said.

Is it fair? Or is that $2.1 million revenue a model that all beach towns look up to?

“I think it is a model they’ve been very successful with,” Holloman said. “They’ve got a lot of revenue in for that.”

Revenue that Monaghan said isn’t fair.

“These are public beaches, so sometimes it irritates me about these meters,” Monaghan said.

But to a town, that ticking meter may be survival.

“Some are apprehensive, you know? Don’t just think of it as a money pot,” Holloman said. “I think people are much easier to understand if it serves a purpose, not just a way to bring in revenue.”

“I know it can get expensive but it’s a great beach, clear water, and it’s a great location and it’s easy to get to,” Owens said.

For now, Wrighstville Beach and Carolina Beach are the only two beach towns in our area that have paid parking. But Topsail Beach and Oak Island have not completely ruled it out of the future.