Scituate's Select Board voted unanimously Tuesday to raise the fine for beach parking violations from $50 to $150, a threefold increase members said was overdue given rising costs and years of resident complaints.
The vote came during the board's August 4 meeting after a lengthy discussion in which members weighed figures ranging from $100 to $150 before settling on the higher amount. The new fine takes effect August 10. Chair Susan Harrison argued for going straight to the maximum, pointing to a previous town meeting vote that she said authorized a fine as high as $150.
"These are not our residents that are paying these tickets," Harrison said. "They can go get a beach sticker for multiple cars. And I think the town is very frustrated without being able to find a parking spot."
Town Administrator James Boudreau told the board that as of July 28, police had written 293 parking tickets for the season, with about 70 percent issued for failing to display a valid beach sticker. Member Nico Afanasenko initially pushed for a more gradual increase, suggesting the board split the difference at $125 rather than jump straight to the maximum allowed under the town meeting vote.
"I'm going to throw everyone a curve ball," Afanasenko said. "We can split the difference. Go to 125 if you need to."
Clerk Freya Schlegel and Boudreau discussed how the fine compares with the cost of a seasonal beach sticker, which currently runs $100 for residents and $350 for non-residents. Boudreau said the wide gap between the sticker price and the old ticket fine had undercut the incentive to buy a sticker in the first place.
"At $350, I had to get seven tickets before an equal one," Boudreau said, describing the math that led the administration to seek the increase.
After further discussion, the board settled on $150. Schlegel moved to raise the fine effective August 10, and the board approved it by unanimous roll call vote. Boudreau said new signage would take a few weeks to arrive, so the town plans to place temporary stickers over existing signs listing the old fine in the meantime.
Harrison said beach parking generates more complaints to her office than any other issue during her time on the board, underscoring the pressure behind Tuesday's vote.