By John Schwing

WESTPORT — Swimming against the inflationary tide, the Parks and Recreation Commission wants to cut the cost of seasonal beach passes for out-of-towners, scaling back the $775 fee — highest among state shoreline communities — to $545, with several officials tacitly acknowledging it is a public relations problem as well as potential political issue for the town.

The decision, which still must be approved by the Board of Selectwomen, was made during the commission’s Wednesday meeting as the panel approved relatively modest fee increases for other activities and programs — including the cost of beach emblems for Westport residents.

Debate over access to municipal beaches along the state’s shoreline is a perennial issue, with activists and some legislators demanding that coastal communities either lift outright bans or higher entry fees applied to non-residents or face the prospect of losing state aid for various environmental and infrastructure programs.

A bill to foster that goal has again been submitted in this year’s General Assembly session — House bill 6650. A relevant provision of the lengthy proposal states its goal is to “prohibit municipalities from restricting non-resident access to municipal parks and beaches that are accessible to residents or imposing fees for such access that are greater than fifty per cent of any fees charged to residents.”

The bill is scheduled for a public hearing by the legislature’s Planning and Development Committee at 11 a.m. Friday, Feb. 17. The hearing will take place in the state Legislative Office Building in Hartford and can be viewed on YouTube and CT-N.com.

In years past, similar measures have failed to win approval.

And while no one at the parks and recreation meeting mentioned this year’s state legislative initiative, the continuing blowback over Westport’s non-resident beach policies was clearly on officials’ mind.

Chairman David Floyd said the change is designed to address a “climate” of providing greater beach accessibility for more people.

Without mentioning specifics, Floyd acknowledged there’s  a “prevailing wind” and “underlying currents” that non-residents should not be charged substantially higher beach fees than residents.

As part of the proposed changes, not only would the non-resident beach emblem cost $545 instead of $775, the number of emblems sold would increase from 350 to 450 seasonal passes.

On the other hand, the standard fee charged for Westport residents’ beach emblems would rise from $50 to $60 under the new fee structure.

Emblem fees for adults 62 years old and over and for the disabled would rise from $25 to $30.

And the reduced annual rate traditionally charged Weston residents for beach emblems would rise from $375 to $415.

The higher fees, which had not been increased for six years, according to Parks and Recreation Director Jennifer Fava, will help cover a $340,000 rise in overall beach expenses.

Floyd said the $545 non-resident fee is based on a return to the $495 fee charged in 2017 — when the sharp rise to $775 was imposed — plus an additional amount to reflect higher prices currently needed to maintain the town’s beaches.

Fava, who also noted the lower non-resident fee aims to increase accessibility to the town’s waterfront, said the $545 rate is still “significantly” higher than fees charged by other shoreline communities.

In Fairfield, for instance, non-resident beach stickers cost $250 and are $125 to $325 in Norwalk, depending on the beach.

Chris Tait, a Representative Town Meeting member from District 1, who also chairs the RTM’s Parks and Recreation Committee, directly addressed the beach accessibility issue and the negative headlines Westport’s policies have generated.

The spike to a $775 non-resident fee, coupled with cutting the number of emblems sold to 350, “added fuel to the fire” fanned by state officials who want to end restrictions on shoreline access, he said.

That fee, Tait added, was “way out of whack” and “did not look good.”

Commission member Chrissy O’Keeffe asked whether cutting the non-resident emblem fee from $775 to $545 might be “a bit dramatic.” Out-of-towners who previously bought season passes for $775 would be pleased even if the fee were reduced to $600 rather than the lower figure, she suggested.

In the end, the proposed beach fee structure was endorsed on a unanimous 4-0 vote.

John Schwing, the Westport Journal consulting editor, has held senior editorial and writing posts at southwestern Connecticut media outlets for four decades. Learn more about us here.