Just after Connecticut's third Monday snowstorm in a row, East Haven is already thinking ahead about summer, announcing that beach-goers will face increased fines for parking violations near Cosey Beach this coming summer season.
The Town Council approved an ordinance on Feb. 3 imposing a $100 fine for parking violations in effort to reduce "parking woes" at the beach this summer after a slew of complaints last year, according to a release from the mayor's office. The decision marks the first revision to the parking fine structure since 1985, officials said.
"In response to concerns raised by residents, I directed our Police Commission to review and amend the regulations regarding beach parking," East Haven Mayor Joe Maturo Jr. said in a statement. "In addition to strategically relocating no-parking signs, the Commission and Town Council have now increased the fine for parking in designated no-parking zones from $10 dollars to $100 dollars."
The plan was several months in the making. Police Commission Chairman Bill Illingworth, Commissioner Eduardo Torrealba, Town Councilman Joseph Santino and East Haven resident Richard Poulton comprise a subcomittee on parking and visited the area near the town beach in the fall. They decided to move the "no parking" signs to the southern side of Cosey Beach Avenue to bar anyone from parking in front of homes and blocking driveways, according to the mayor's office.
"Phase one of addressing parking congestion was to strategically relocate and replace no-parking signs," Maturo said. "With that task complete, I directed our Police Commission to address the issue of the town's outdated parking fine structure. The thought was that increasing penalties for violating the parking regulations would deter individuals from parking where they are not supposed to."
A police commission subcommittee and town attorneys developed a proposal for ordinance amendments this winter and recommended it to the Town Council on Dec. 30.
"While the ordinance was updated primarily to combat a specific problem we've experienced at the beach, the revisions actually apply town-wide," Maturo said. "The ordinance now specifies five classes of offenses pertaining to 'stopping, standing, and parking' ranging in severity from improperly parking in a handicapped zone to exceeding posted time limits for parking. In amending the fines related to beach parking, we seized the opportunity to update Town-wide regulations as well."
Maturo said that town officials will also be "closely scrutinizing the use of Town-issued parking passes to ensure they're issued and used properly and fairly."
