Southampton Village Exploring Possibility Of Adding Paid Parking

Southampton Village is exploring the possibility of adding paid parking.

The Village Board listened to a presentation at the start of a public work session on July 21, from Ron Ross of Park Mobile, a car parking app. Mayor Jesse Warren said the presentation was a way for the village to learn and gather more information about paid parking, and not an indication that the village was indeed going to move forward with instituting paid parking. He said that if the board decides it would like to move forward with a paid parking initiative, it would likely start with a 30-day pilot program in the parking lot behind Village Hall and Rite Aid.

Park Mobile is the largest payment provider for paid parking in the country, according to Ross, and is the app used for paid parking in the Village of East Hampton. The Village of Sag Harbor also began paid parking in certain areas in recent years.

If the village went ahead with paid parking, Warren said it would likely model it after what is done in East Hampton Village, where the first two hours of parking are free, and the third hour costs $10. There is no option to add a fourth hour in East Hampton. East Hampton Village residents are entitled to three hours of free parking, and the method of enforcement is determining whether or not they have a village beach sticker on their car, although Mayor Jerry Larsen, who spoke via Zoom at the meeting, said those village residents who do not have a beach sticker can register their car to ensure they get the three free hours they’re entitled to as residents.

Larsen said the paid parking program in East Hampton Village has “worked really well” since it was rolled out in 2021. He said the village brought in $59,000 in revenue from the app in the first year, and this year is already at $36,000. The village runs the paid parking program from May through September 15, and only until 5 p.m. at night.

He said that despite having the paid parking program, the village has not lost any revenue that typically comes in from issuing parking tickets, which he said was surprising.

“I was hoping it would, because it’s a friendlier way to deal with business, but we’re still issuing a lot of summonses,” he said.

The board also announced that, effective July 22, it would be deploying two drones to help patrol Coopers Beach and keep an eye out for sharks, in light of the rise in shark bites and sightings on the South Shore of Long Island this summer. Warren described it as a “lifesaving activity,” and added that other municipalities have taken similar measures.

Brown gave a short presentation on the parameters of her “It Takes A Village” initiative, outlining the goals and priorities of the effort she’s spearheading. It will include bolstering safety initiatives like raising bike helmet use and awareness, creating further engagement with young residents through the creation of the Southampton Youth Impact Committee and mentorship programs, plans to host special events for “seasoned” citizens, and more.

Finally, after coming out of executive session, the board added a walk-on resolution, suspending maintenance mechanic Michael Wild for 30 days without pay, effective July 22.