By Michael P. Walsh
Special to the Voice
For the second year, Mayor Nancy R. Rossi has extended the city’s 2016-18 beach parking permits, this time through June 30, 2020.
The two-year stickers, which are dark blue, were originally set to expire June 30, 2018, but were extended last year by Rossi to June 30, 2019.
Like last year, the extension will save $15,000 in printing fees the city would have incurred if it printed new beach stickers this year, Rossi said.
Delinquent taxpayers are not eligible for the free stickers until their motor vehicle taxes are paid, city officials said.
Taxpayers can check if they owe back taxes and pay online by going to www.cityofwesthaven.com and clicking on Tax Collector under the Government heading. They can also pay in person in the tax office on the first floor of City Hall, 355 Main St.
Beach stickers for new, leased and military-exempt vehicles, including motorcycles, are available from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. weekdays in the tax office. A “new” vehicle means it was registered in West Haven after Oct. 1, 2018. A motor vehicle registration is required to obtain a sticker for any vehicle.
Each beach sticker includes the vehicle’s license plate number printed on it.
Stickers are for residents whose vehicles are registered in West Haven and are only valid if affixed to the inside lower left corner of the vehicle’s windshield. Commercial vehicles are excluded.
The seasonal benefit entitles resident taxpayers to free beach parking in the following municipal lots: South Street, Dawson Avenue, Sea Bluff, Bradley Point, Rock Street, Oak Street, Altschuler Plaza, Morse Park, Sandy Point and the April Street boat ramp.
Please note that Palace Street is a pay-for-parking site for both residents and nonresidents. Beach stickers are not valid on Palace Street. Anyone with a sticker should park in a municipal lot.
The fee for a replacement beach sticker is $10 — no exceptions, officials said. A motor vehicle registration is required to buy a replacement sticker, which is payable by cash or check.
For nonresidents, a 2019 parking pass costs $125, payable by cash or check. A motor vehicle registration and a driver’s license are required to buy a nonresident beach sticker, which is valid in municipal parking lots only, not the boat ramp.
Replacement and nonresident stickers are available for purchase from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. weekdays in the Department of Human Resources on the second floor of City Hall.
Otherwise, the daily parking fee for nonresidents is $12, or $1.50 per hour, payable at the parking meters in the Sea Bluff, Bradley Point, Morse Park and Sandy Point beach lots and at the April Street boat ramp. The kiosks accept bills, coins and credit cards.
For beach sticker information, call the tax office at (203) 937-3525 or the Human Resources office at (203) 937-3568.