Beach Fees on the Rise

Certain beach-goers will have to pay more to step onto Long Beach sand this summer. 

The City Council on Tuesday approved hikes to the family plan to $60, up from $50 last year, and nonresident families will play $120, an increase from $100 last summer.

Council Vice President Len Torres said the city’s financial woes, which include a projected $10.2 millioin deficit for the 2011-12 fiscal year, necessitated the fee increase, and Walks resident James Lynch called on the city to have out-of-towners bear the increased costs, according to Newsday. At Tuesday’s meeting Lynch said:

"We should be looking to get money from people who come down here and use our resources.”

In an email to Patch prior to Tuesday’s vote, a city official explained that there is also an retroactive increase to the economy daily beach pass that allows for 10 admissions throughout the summer season: “The one item that was increased but never codified is the economy pass. We charged $80 for economy last year when the code only had it at $60. A resident individual is $40 for the season and we are not touching that.”

In May 2010, the council raised the cost of the daily beach pass from $10 to 12, and then City Manager Charles Theofan said the city expected beachgoers would pay the extra $2 and buy the same number of daily passes as the did the previous year and thereby raise about $300,000 more in fees, Patch reported. The last time the city increased the price of a daily pass, from $7 to $10 in 2007, the number of passes dropped but the city still managed to bring in some $400,000 more in revenue than it had in 2006, according to the Theofan administration.

Seasonal beach admission charges over the years:

2007:
Resident Families: $50
Non-Resident Families: $100
Economy Pass: $60

2004:
Resident Families: $60
Non-Resident Families: $90
Non-Resident Individuals: $70
Economy Pass:    $40

2000:
Resident Families: $55
Non-Resident Families: $80
Non-Resident Individuals: $60.
Economy Pass: $35