Parking rates will stay the same during Bamboozle
City manager had suggested doubling most rates to raise an additional $50,000 for city over weekend
Despite the city manager’s recommendation, the city council decided at last night’s meeting not to increase parking rates over Bamboozle weekend. The meeting was held mainly for council to vote on several items regarding the Bamboozle festival, which is taking place next weekend.
Bamboozle is scheduled for May 18, 19 and 20 and event organizers estimate 20,000 to 40,000 people per day will attend the music festival. Organizers are providing the public with 9,700 parking spaces at Monmouth Raceway. Shuttle buses will transport people from there to the concert and back for $10.
But parking in the city will also be available, and city manager Terence Reidy suggested last night that the rates at metered spots be augmented for that weekend. Normally, a metered spot costs $1 per hour and $10 per day. On the waterfront, parking is $2 per hour but still $10 if motorists choose to stay the whole day.
The city is estimating all parking spots will be full of festival-goers over the course of the weekend, Reidy said. “It’s not parking that we think will be available to residents or causal people coming in or patrons of the boardwalk businesses,” he said.
“Our recommendation is that for that weekend, we increase parking rates,” he said.
The city parking ordinance allows the council to change rates via resolution, so city attorney Fred Raffetto drafted a resolution changing the daily rate to $20 and the hourly rate to $2 citywide.
“You’d be looking at an increase of over $50,000 for the city for the weekend,” Reidy said. “My take is that people coming to the festival will consider that a bargain.”
Mayor Ed Johnson was not in favor of such an increase.
“A large part of the success” of the city’s parking policy stemmed from the council taking its time to phase in new rules, Johnson said. “It was fair and it went through a process that allowed everyone to have input. While I can see dollar signs as well, I just feel that the ill will and bad taste that this will leave … far outweighs any benefit we could get.”
Also, Johnson floated the idea past several people over the past few days, and all of them were vehemently opposed, he said.
“This is an opportunity for us to raise money but I just feel very strongly that the PR nightmare and bad taste it’s going to leave in everyone’s mouth is going to come back to haunt us,” Johnson said.
After more discussion between Reidy and Johnson, Councilman Jim Bruno moved that the city raise the rates to $20 daily and $2 citywide for the weekend, but no one seconded the motion.
“We missed the boat on that one,” Bruno said.
Johnson suggested in the future, the city should create a special event parking policy. Councilwoman Sue Henderson agreed, saying this proposed action was “too quick.”
