SANDPOINT — The City Council voted unanimously to adopt new fees, which include maximums for the city’s paid parking program.

The parking fee maximums will be $3 an hour for non-permit holders in all city-owned lots and up to $5 an hour for overstaying in the two-hour street parking zones. City residents can purchase a permit for the city lots for $20 a year, while Bonner County residents will have to pay $35 a year.  

The city can charge less than the amount in the fee schedule when they choose, but cannot go higher without amending its fee schedule again. 

While the vote was unanimous, Councilor Pam Duquette continued to voice her disappointment that city residents will need to pay to park at City Beach. Duquette said she feels that city taxpayers already pay for City Beach, via property taxes, and should not have to pay for easier access. 

“I believe we have a right to the beach for free,” Duquette said. “If we do not want a parking pass, we can still access the beach and park for free. Not everybody drives to town. Some people only drive to go to the beach if they have a lot of things.” 

At the May 6 council meeting, Duquette and Planning and Community Development Director Jason Welker discussed a potential free permit for city residents to use at City Beach. When asked about the possibility of implementing that program this year, Welker said it was a little late in the game to add another layer to the permit process. 

Welker added that the IPS Group’s permit portal, where residents will be able to purchase passes, is set to go live around the beginning of June. However, Welker said that continual evaluation of the program will be key, and the idea of a free permit at City Beach could be brought back next year. 

“The goal of the deployment efforts is to have permits for sale by mid-June,” Welker said. “At least two weeks before we even install kiosks, so that city and county residents have plenty of time to get a permit associated with the license plate before we start charging tourists at City Beach.” 

During the discussion, Welker said that the city is looking into adding two of the volleyball courts at City Beach to CourtReserve. The city currently uses that platform at the James E. Russell Sports Center and would allow people to reserve a court at a certain time for $10.  

Welker said the city is testing this to ensure that city residents can more easily use the courts after residents have expressed frustration with not being able to get on the courts recently. 

“We're not looking to make a profit off of volleyball courts,” Wleker said. “We're just looking to provide better access to volleyball courts using the technology that we have.”  

In addition to the parking and court rental fees, other notable new fees include a price for putting up decorative banners downtown and a young adult membership at the JER Center. The membership allows anyone between the ages of 19 and 25 to purchase a monthly or annual membership at a reduced rate, $39 a month if billed monthly, or $29 a month if billed annually. 

At this meeting, a public hearing was scheduled for residents to provide feedback on the fee schedule. However, no residents signed up, and as such, no feedback on the fees was heard by the council last Wednesday. 

More information on the new fees and increases can be found on Sandpoint’s website at sandpointidaho.gov under the City Clerk banner. The entire conversation can be viewed on the city’s YouTube channel at YouTube.com/@CityofSandpoint.