Longtime Ventnor resident urges limits on parking permits for nonresidents; commission to investigate

At the June 11 Ventnor City Commission meeting, longtime resident Beverly Goldberg (107 South Baton Rouge) delivered an extended public comment requesting the city limit parking-permit use by nonresidents and raising multiple safety and quality-of-life concerns tied to overcrowding on her street.

Goldberg said her block was built before automobiles and lacks off-street parking; she urged the commission to prevent nonresident employees of a nearby complex she named as "Vassor" from using Ventnor permits. "If you are not a resident paying taxes, you should not be allowed to park there," Goldberg said, describing frequent long-term parking in front of her house and an episode that required police intervention.

City officials responded that parking permits are issued by the code office and require a Ventnor address. The mayor and staff said they would investigate whether permits issued to the condominium/complex are being misused by employees, examine permit records, and ask police to do random checks of permit numbers if needed. The city administrator said staff would tally how many permits have been issued to that property and review the permit-use rules; staff committed to follow up with code enforcement and the police department.

Commissioners acknowledged the broader challenge of living in an island community that swells in population seasonally and noted the limits of what the city can require for private property. Goldberg also raised related concerns about adjacent property maintenance and overflow parking tied to short-term rentals; city staff said they would review those complaints as separate enforcement items.

Next step: staff to review permit issuance records for the property in question and report findings to the administration; police may conduct permit-usage checks to confirm compliance.