Politics & Government

Village Considering Online Beach Parking Permit Purchases

Board members wonder if traffic would crash village website.

Next year, you may be able to buy your East Hampton Village beach sticker online.

East Hampton Village Administrator Larry Cantwell received the board's support during Thursday's work session to explore the idea with a software company.

The village will pay the company $2,000 up front, and no more than $8,000 to implement the system. Non-resident and resident beach parking permits could be applied for online, though the sticker would still have to be mailed to the recipient.

Find out what's happening in East Hamptonwith free, real-time updates from Patch.

The village hands out 7,000 permits annually, including . About 70-percent of the total permits are given out through mail transactions, Cantwell said. "Just the stamps are running us $4 to $5,000 a year," he said.

While, the village would still have to send out permits via mail, he said it would be easier for both everyone involved if the process can be started online, though it was unclear whether the village's website could even handle the amount of traffic that is likely on the first day the permits are available.

Find out what's happening in East Hamptonwith free, real-time updates from Patch.

"It's going to be like trying to get a camping spot at Hither Hills," Deputy Mayor Barbara Borsack said.

Cantwell said he would work with the software company to find out if the website could handle the traffic. Employees at village hall would still be available to help people in person, he added.

Does this sound like a good idea? Would it be more convenient to you in buying your pass each year? Tell us in the comments section below.


Get more local news delivered straight to your inbox. Sign up for free Patch newsletters and alerts.

We’ve removed the ability to reply as we work to make improvements. Learn more here