MILTON, DE -- Milton's town council will discuss a set of paid parking options at their upcoming meeting Monday night.
According to a financial analysis done by town leaders, the proposals look to help fund a lot leased from the Milton Historical Society. The study cites the lot as costing roughly $45,000 annually for the town. Town officials said the lot was leased to help with a lack of parking options in the downtown area.
The study lists a parking impact fee, parking meters, and charging businesses $150 per off-street parking spot they would be estimated to need by code.
According to the study, charging businesses per spot would result in a roughly $11,000 deficit for what the town needs. The parking meter option, including costs for maintenance, installation, and staffing, would result in a roughly $34,000 to $5,000 deficit depending on the hourly rate charged.
The study lists the parking impact fee as the only one that would place the town in a surplus. According to town leaders, the impact fee would bring in roughly $70,000 annually, leaving the town with approximately $25,000 in surplus.
The proposed parking impact fee would take .5% of annual gross income for businesses downtown, and charge $1 per ticket sold in town. According to the study, roughly $68,000 to $69,000 of the $70,000 would come from tickets sold at the Milton Theatre.
"This doesn't seem like an equitable solution because it puts most of the responsibility to the theatre rather than equally to all of the parties involved," J.P. Lacap, marketing director with the Milton Theatre, told WBOC.
Lacap said they sell tickets to their shows far in advance.
"For us to add this one dollar fee into our system is going to be a lot of work. It's going to be hours and hours of work for us," Lacap said.
Kirsten Suprun with the Irish Eyes Pub in Downtown Milton expressed some concern about the possible fee for businesses.
"There's gonna be days where you don't get those customers in but you still have to pay that parking fee," Suprun said.
Suprun said she is hoping for a compromise.
"I do believe that we should have paid parking, there should be a lot, I'm not opposed to that. Just kinda meet us halfway," Suprun said.
Update:
At the town's council meeting on Monday night, Milton's leaders heard lots of mixed opinions from those in the community.
No final decisions were made. Town leaders decided that the discussion will be revisited at a future joint meeting between the parking and finance committees. There is currently no set date for that meeting.