Ocean Isle Beach approves paid parking, authorizes local bill and budget amendment

The Town of Ocean Isle Beach Board of Commissioners voted to implement paid parking for the upcoming season and approved a contract with AutoConnect to manage the program, the board said during a lengthy discussion that included debate over residents’ access and revenue estimates.

Commissioners adopted a resolution asking the North Carolina Legislature to allow on-street paid-parking revenue to be used with the same flexibility as off-street parking revenue, and approved a $50,000 budget amendment to cover initial signage, posts and preparatory work for public and business parking areas.

Supporters said paid parking is intended to create structured parking, reduce traffic and generate revenue for the town. “The impact would be, they believe it'll be a reduction in traffic,” Commissioner Tom said while urging board approval of the AutoConnect contract. Commissioners also cited a projected annual revenue estimate of about $387,000 and noted that roughly $90,000 of that was expected to come from property owners under the proposed fee structure.

Opponents and commissioners urging caution proposed a phased approach and recommended preserving free parking at beach access points for residents and golf carts where allowed by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers agreement. “If we think about the word resigned, it means I don't like it, but I don't think I have a choice,” Commissioner Mike said in support of exploring a compromise that would allow free access at certain beach access parking while limiting other spaces.

Staff described the legal constraint the town faces under its coastal contract: if the town charges for some users at Corps-managed areas it generally must apply the fee uniformly. Town staff asked for the local bill because, under North Carolina general statutes cited by staff, on-street paid-parking proceeds are limited in how they may be used; the requested local change would allow the town to use on-street revenues more like off-street proceeds.

The board approved the contract with AutoConnect and the legislative request and passed the $50,000 budget amendment to fund signs, posts and preparatory work, including planning for a 20-space employee lot behind the old town hall and registration of business employee plates. Staff said the signage budget line is roughly $10,225 for signs plus about $5,800 for metal posts; town staff will install signs. The board set an implementation target of April 1 and staff noted legislative deadlines: local bill drafting requests must be submitted by Feb. 20 and bills filed by early March for the session timeline discussed.

The board and staff emphasized that the program can be adjusted after data collection. “Let’s make our decision on actual facts,” Commissioner Steve said, urging use of enforcement data and AutoConnect reporting to refine the program. AutoConnect and town staff will provide usage and enforcement data during the first season to inform changes.

The board approved the measures in separate votes: the motion to award the AutoConnect contract, the motion to submit the local bill request, and the motion to approve the $50,000 budget amendment. The transcript did not record a numerical roll-call tally for those votes; minutes show motions were seconded and carried.