Revision: Jan. 20, 2016, midnight
\t \t\tSB 510-FN - AS INTRODUCED
2016 SESSION
\t16-2752
\t10/04
SENATE BILL\t510-FN
AN ACT\trelative to parking at state park parking meters.
SPONSORS:\tSen. Stiles, Dist 24; Sen. Little, Dist 8; Sen. Watters, Dist 4; Rep. F. Rice, Rock. 21; Rep. C. Christensen, Hills. 21; Rep. Mullen, Straf. 1; Rep. Gottling, Sull. 2; Rep. Spang, Straf. 6
COMMITTEE:\tTransportation
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ANALYSIS
\tThis bill allows vehicles with state park system license plates to use metered parking for up to 6 hours without charge on certain days. The bill also allows for increased parking fees in state parks on holidays and weekend days with high traffic rates.
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Explanation:\tMatter added to current law appears in bold italics.
\t\tMatter removed from current law appears [in brackets and struckthrough.]
\t\tMatter which is either (a) all new or (b) repealed and reenacted appears in regular type.
\t16-2752
\t10/04
STATE OF NEW HAMPSHIRE
In the Year of Our Lord Two Thousand Sixteen
AN ACT\trelative to parking at state park parking meters.
Be it Enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives in General Court convened:
\t1 State Park System; Fees for Parking. Amend RSA 216-A:3-g, VI to read as follows:
\t\tVI. No admission fee shall be charged for day use of the state park system to the occupants of a vehicle with a number plate bearing a special registration plate symbol authorized by RSA 261:75-c. [Any fees for the use of metered parking or enterprise activities as defined in paragraph II shall be charged to such persons.] Any fees for: (a) enterprise activities as defined in paragraph II or metered parking on weekends and holidays after June 15th and before September 16th, (b) more than 6 consecutive hours of metered parking on all other days, or (c) any metered parking for residential use or business employee use, shall be charged to occupants of such vehicles.
\t2 New Paragraph; State Park System; Fees for Parking. Amend RSA 216-A:3-g by inserting after paragraph VII the following new paragraph:
\t\tVIII. The commissioner may adopt parking fees or charges within the state park system that assess an increased rate for parking on holidays and weekend days with high traffic rates unless such plan for parking fees and charges is denied by the fiscal committee of the general court as provided by this section.
\t3 Effective Date. This act shall take effect July 1, 2016.
\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t16-2752
\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t1/11/16
SB 510-FN- FISCAL NOTE
AN ACT\trelative to parking at state park parking meters.
FISCAL IMPACT:
The Department of Resources and Economic Development states this bill, as introduced, will have an indeterminable impact on state revenue in FY 2017 and each year thereafter. There will be no impact on state, county and local expenditures or county and local revenue.
METHODOLOGY:
The Department of Resources and Economic Development states this bill would allow motor vehicle owners with a state park license plate to park without charge at state-owned beaches with parking meters including Jenness, North Hampton, North Beach, and Hampton Beach from June 16th through September 15, except on weekends and holidays when park plate owners would still be required to pay at the meters. In addition, motor vehicle owners with a state park plate would pay the parking meter if timed parking exceeds six consecutive hours or the vehicle owner is parking for residential or business use. The Department indicates the bill also permits the Department, with approval of the fiscal committee, to assess premium parking rates on holidays and high traffic weekends.
The Department states it does not have information on:
The Department estimated the impact of one newly purchased state park plate used at a metered lot when the lot is full. Free parking for state park plate owners when the lots are full represents the extreme scenario where paying visitors with regular plates are displaced. Based actual data from 2015 and the second most used metered lot, there were 48 days when the lot was full and the average ticket per visitor was $5.07. The impact of one state park plate displacing one paying visitor for 48 days would be $243.55. State park plates are sold for $80 and $5 is retained by the Department of Safety. Assuming the plate is purchased for use at this lot and is not an existing plate, the net impact on revenue would be a reduction of $168.36 ($5.07 x 48 days =$243.36 minus $75 park plate revenue = $168.36). The Department assumes there would a substantial negative impact on revenue as an unknown number of existing owners of state park plates would use metered parking and an unknown number of new state park plates would be purchased in order to utilize the additional parking benefit.
Concerning the ability to assess premium parking rates on holidays and high traffic weekends, the Department has not determined what the potential premium rates would be and cannot estimate the fiscal impact of this provision. The Department did calculate an estimate for Hampton Beach parking based on a $0.50 per hour increase. Based on FY 2015 revenue at Hampton Beach, an increase of $0.50 per hour would generate an additional $199,600 of revenue to the State Park Fund.