Liberty's Blog

Paid beach parking: The Sequal

Paid beach parking considered again in Galveston. this time on 2 fronts. The City is concidering bringing it to the voters, about parking on the seawall. The county wants a paid seasonal parking scheme for Boliver Penninsula.

The Galveston City Council today is scheduled to discuss whether to call an election to see if residents want to impose paid parking along the city's seawall next year.

Galveston County Commissioners Court will hold a public hearing Monday on whether to impose a $10 annual parking fee along all but a few miles of the 32-mile-long Bolivar Peninsula.

Now, the City and Mayor Thomas might well remember the last election and the voters reponce to this. Its going to be a hard sell to the voters, and another house cleaning might be the result if Galvestonians feel this is being rammed down their throats. Its not going to fly and I believe its real unlikely that the voters will have a change of heart. Perhaps though the voters have a right to be the ones to kill this thing once and for all.

Galveston Mayor Lyda Ann Thomas said the council can't vote today — and likely won't soon — to put the issue on the ballot in 2005.

She said she expects the council and city staff to try to find money in the current budget that can be used as local shares to procure state or federal grants. The grants would be used to finance amenities such as showers and restrooms on the beachfront and to fund projects such as sand replenishment, she said.

The council is required by city charter to call an election before imposing parking fees on the beachfront. The charter provision resulted from a petition drive earlier this year by many residents opposed to any paid parking along the seawall or the placement of what they consider unsightly parking meters on the seawall to raise money.

Greg Roof, a leader of the group that gathered the petitions, declined to say whether he would support calling an election.

The County Commisioners court would be well advised to remember the electoral bloodbath of the citys elections. My observationb is that folks off Island are even more offended by the idea of charging for beach parking.

Just a few blocks away from City Hall in downtown Galveston, county commissioners are expected to discuss parking fees on the unincorporated Bolivar Peninsula on Monday. The proposal to sell annual permits, primarily through convenience stores and other businesses along Texas 87 on the peninsula, is expected to garner vocal support and opposition.

posted by Liberty @ 9:02 PM