By Tony Judnich

Judnich@hometownnewsol.com

People who never visit the beaches or boat ramps in unincorporated Brevard County should not have to pay for them, says District 3 County Commissioner Trudie Infantini.

It makes sense, however, to charge beach and boat-ramp users a fee, she said Aug. 11.

"I'm just trying to keep the county fiscally solvent so we can continue to have these services," said Mrs. Infantini, whose district covers the southeast part of the county, including the beaches from Sebastian Inlet to just north of U.S. 192 in Melbourne.

"Currently, the south area parks budget is used to support the beach parks in the south (Brevard) community," she said. "But (south county residents) are not necessarily the primary beach users. Oftentimes, you have people from out of town using them."

Just like the people who play on golf courses, beachgoers and boat-ramp users should pay a fee to help maintain the facilities they use, Mrs. Infantini said.

"A lot of retired people, they won't use boat ramps, and others won't go to the beach," she said.

At the prompting of Mrs. Infantini and District 5 Commissioner Andy Anderson - and with the support of the other three commissioners - county staff is studying the possible use of parking meters at the county's 12 beach parks, as well as at 23 ramps that are used by motorized boats.

Fiscal 2010 starts Oct. 1. The county Parks and Recreation Department is facing an almost 20 percent decrease in its tentative fiscal 2010 operating budget compared to the existing budget. Also, the department could lose 48 positions - 31 that are filled positions and 17 that are vacant - in the new budget.

Parking meters in recreation areas are "revenue generators" for some cities and could earn money for the county as well, parks and recreation department director Don Lusk said Aug. 10.

He hopes to have the parking meter study completed within the next three months.

"We have to find out the cost of capital, the cost of enforcement and collection and the return on the investment," Mr. Lusk said.

According to information requested by Mrs. Infantini, the town of Indialantic has about 440 parking meters, which cost a total of about $154,000.

Each meter charges 75 cents per hour. Annually, Indialantic receives about $252,000 in meter revenue and $58,000 in meter fines and pays about $23,000 in expenses, not including labor costs. The town's part-time meter readers make the minimum wage or more.

Mrs. Infantini said if the county installs parking meters at its beaches, it could offer resident beachgoers annual parking decals, which in the long run could be more affordable than having to pay the meters.

Grant money was used to help pay for building some of the county's boat ramps, however, and the grant agreements call for any user fees to be equal among all ramp users, Mrs. Infantini said.