Dewey alters summer parking fee hours

Dewey Beach Town Council voted Feb. 13, to modify the town’s summer parking fee hours, extending the window by an hour.

The $4 hourly parking will now go into effect daily at 9 a.m. instead of 10 a.m. in the summer season, which runs from May 15 to Sept. 15.

The 2 a.m. fee end time will remain the same, and free parking will still be available every Monday from 5 to 11 p.m, excluding federal holidays.

“[The hour from] 9 to 10 will help us,” Commissioner Elisabeth Gibbings said.

The change was recommended by the finance committee in an effort to increase revenue. 

Given the high volume of parking between 9 and 10 a.m, the change could generate an additional $35,000 for the town, according to estimates by Accounting Manager Sheena Hall and Town Manager Bill Zolper.

The committee initially discussed also shifting the end time earlier to midnight but decided against it. Diane Hanson, town resident and president of the Dewey Beach Civic League, agreed with the choice.

“The picture of having the bars open late and having no parking fees at that time is not good,” Hanson said. “It’s giving the wrong message.”

Most bars close at 1 a.m. in the summer.

Beach assessment tax

Town council updated the beach assessment tax rate and approved a number of ordinances Feb. 13, relating to property maintenance standards, license fees and building height regulations for certain structures in flood hazard areas.

To align with last year’s Sussex County property tax reassessment, council lowered the beach assessment tax rate from $0.40 per $100 of the 1992 assessed property value to $0.0111 per $100 of the county’s most recent assessed value. The change in rate is simply meant to align the rate with today’s property values, instead of those from 33 years ago.

“Some people win, some people lose, but it really puts everybody into a current level playing field regardless of what’s happened to the property,” Mayor Bill Stevens said.

About 80% of properties are expected to stay within about $50 of what they paid last year, and 95% of properties will be within plus or minus $100 of what they paid last year, according to Commissioner Gary Persinger.

Property maintenance standards

One of the ordinances passed by council revises requirements for property maintenance and establishes penalties for violations. It outlines standards for maintaining the interior and exterior of structures, including accessory structures, and preventing environmental hazards and rodent harborage.

“These [standards] are intended to be fair and protect the public,” Persinger said. “They are not intended to dictate personal taste.” 

The ordinance also establishes penalties for violating the requirements, and it denotes the town building official as the person authorized and directed to notify a property owner or occupier of any violations.

Property owners or occupiers are required to provide acknowledgement of a violation notice within 30 days of receipt of the notice, and they must provide a correction plan and timeline within that same 30-day window. All issues must be fixed within 180 days of acknowledgement.

Failure to acknowledge a notice within 30 days of receipt shall be subject to a $250 fine. An additional $250 penalty shall be levied for each 30-day period during which acknowledgement has not been received.

Failure to fix violations within the required 180-day period shall be subject to a $250 fine for each 30 days beyond the initial 180 days. 

The ordinance also gives the town building official discretion, in consultation with the town manager, to extend these time periods and waive fines as warranted depending on specific circumstances for a given property.

Building height

Another ordinance, the subject of a public hearing, establishes that certain structures built prior to the development of the Flood Insurance Rate Map that are located within flood hazard areas may be restored to their original height following substantial damage caused by a disaster, even if their original height exceeds the town’s maximum height limit, provided that such rebuilding complies with applicable floodplain management requirements.

This ordinance creates consistency between the zoning code and floodplain regulations, which is necessary to ensure compliance with the National Flood Insurance Program and Community Rating System. 

It was recommended to the council by the planning and zoning commission.

Amended license fees

Council amended the license fee structure, increasing many of the fees.

The residential property rental base fee was increased from $188 to $250, plus $20 – instead of the previous $15 – for each bedroom over two.

The base fee for motels and hotels was raised from $503 to $520, plus $31, instead of the previous $29, per room.

The base fee for food and beverage service establishments was increased from $359 to $520, plus $13, not $10, per person.

Additionally, the amended structure eliminates the differentiation between in-town and out-of-town businesses.

It establishes a $260 fee, rather than the previous $359 fee, for all small businesses not otherwise classified, and a $520 fee, rather than the previous $503, for all large businesses not otherwise classified.

For links to the draft ordinances that were approved during the Feb. 13 meeting, go to townofdeweybeach.gov/events/41776.