<body><div><figure><img src="https://img.particlenews.com/image.php?type=thumbnail_580x000&amp;url=3asFLi_1H3Fby4x00" alt="https://img.particlenews.com/image.php?url=3asFLi_1H3Fby4x00" width="800" height="497" ></figure>Rehoboth Beach officials are likely to eliminate quarters as a parking payment option in 2027. FILE PHOTOThis graph shows how the city used to collect well over $1 million in revenue from quarters. Now, it's closer to $55,000. CITY OF REHOBOTH BEACH GRAPHICA quick review of parking-related revenue for Rehoboth in 2026. CITY OF REHOBOTH BEACH GRAPHICA breakdown of police-related summer incidents. CITY OF REHOBOTH BEACH GRAPHICIn response to the continued decline of quarter-related parking revenue, Rehoboth Beach officials are considering eliminating coins as a payment option during the pay-to-park season in 2027.“We are behind the industry when it comes to that,” said Assistant City Manager Evan Miller, during an end-of-summer season report to commissioners Nov. 9. “There are communities that have long removed quarters.”Showing a line graph with a continued downward slope, Miller provided some background on why the city is recommending the change. In 2017, the city had $1.42 million in revenue from quarters. In 2026, it was a little more than $56,000.The years prior to 2017 aren’t included because they skew the graph too much, said Miller. At one time, the city collected more than $2 million in quarter revenue, he said.Meter technicians were dispatched 40 times this summer to address coin-related issues, including someone trying to use something other than a quarter, something getting jammed into the slot or a machine that simply wasn’t working, said Miller. It takes two city employees about 90 minutes to do a coin-collecting run, and it costs $680 to replace a coin acceptor, he said.With parking at $4 an hour, it’s difficult to pay for even an hour or 30 minutes because people don't typically have that many quarters, said Miller. The city is still exploring whether certain areas still see enough quarter use to retain that option, he said.Commissioner Patrick Gossett said if the plan is to eliminate coins, the city should be prepared to provide visitors with information about the alternatives.There used to be 200. Now there are 198. There are 40 stations that earned less than $5,000 in revenue, said Miller. It’s hard to justify keeping physical infrastructure on the street when it’s not recouping costs, he said, adding that the highest-grossing pay station on Rehoboth Avenue collected more than $51,000.The city has been working on this transition for years, but for a variety of reasons related to the complexity of the existing system, Miller said it doesn't look like it's going to happen until 2028. Knowing that parking permits are a big revenue generator, the city wants to take its time, do it right and build a program that is aligned with city code, he said.All told, said Miller, parking revenue was up slightly in 2026 compared with 2025 – $10.14 million versus $10.12 million.Chief Keith Banks said the number of police incidents increased more than 12% over last year and 27% compared to 2024. However, he said, it’s not an increase in crime; it’s an increase in calls for service.He said the department has seen an 18% decrease in thefts; a 20% decrease in assaults; a 36% decrease in juvenile arrest charges since the implementation of a curfew a couple of years ago; and no murders, sexual assaults, robberies or vehicle thefts.There were 3,008 traffic charges and 3,017 warnings issued, said Banks, noting the nearly 50/50 split. The department is trying to be fair and educate the public, not heavy-handed.As for the 911 dispatch, Nick Priddy, emergency communications manager, said the peak call volume was in July, with roughly 9,000. That represents an overall increase of 7.75% compared with last year, he said. Priddy said the center is beginning to see a shift in the types of calls they’re seeing related to fire. It used to be 60% where someone called to alert authorities to a fire alarm, but now it’s coming from year-round residents, not automatic fire calls, he said.It was longtime Rehoboth Beach Patrol lifeguard Nico Caceres’ first year as captain. He said the summer was relatively calm and overall comparable to past seasons – there were 645 calls recorded; 80 rescue incidents, with 66 related to rip currents; 176 missing person incidents, involving 186 people, including 167 children; 33 major medical aid events that involved an ambulance; and 1,567 minor medical aid events, but a lot of those were related to jellyfish stings.The biggest change this year was the implementation of the Watch Tower program, which allows the beach patrol to gather data digitally, said Caceres. This will help the patrol keep better year-over-year statistics, but also in real time, he said.The beach patrol also implemented a program for visitors called Safe Beach Day, which provides water conditions and alerts, said Caceres.Looking to next year, the department is considering adding a jet ski operator position, said Cacares.Public Works Director Henry Matlosz said the city treated a similar amount of wastewater this summer compared with last year. There was a bit of a spike in September, but that could have been related to the September storm and some infiltration, he said.There was a slight increase in the amount of water treated, but that appears to be coming from customers outside city limits, said Matlosz. The city provided more than 3 million gallons of water a day from July 2-5, with a peak of 3.6 million July 4, he said.Boardwalk recycling rates continue to be low, which prompted Commissioner Mark Saunders to ask if it's time to stop providing the service. If the city spends hundreds of thousands on a program where 85% of it is contaminated, it might not be worth doing, he said.Matlosz said the recycling rate for the residential areas of the city wasn't as bad as the Boardwalk, but he didn’t have the numbers in front of him.Rehoboth Beach officials are likely to eliminate quarters as a parking payment option in 2027. FILE PHOTO<figure><img src="https://img.particlenews.com/image.php?type=thumbnail_580x000&amp;url=22Wng2_1H3Fby4x00" alt="https://img.particlenews.com/image.php?url=22Wng2_1H3Fby4x00" width="800" height="449" ></figure>This graph shows how the city used to collect well over $1 million in revenue from quarters. Now, it's closer to $55,000. CITY OF REHOBOTH BEACH GRAPHIC<figure><img src="https://img.particlenews.com/image.php?type=thumbnail_580x000&amp;url=0RMP4r_1H3Fby4x00" alt="https://img.particlenews.com/image.php?url=0RMP4r_1H3Fby4x00" width="800" height="457" ></figure>A quick review of parking-related revenue for Rehoboth in 2026. CITY OF REHOBOTH BEACH GRAPHIC<figure><img src="https://img.particlenews.com/image.php?type=thumbnail_580x000&amp;url=22RlGs_1H3Fby4x00" alt="https://img.particlenews.com/image.php?url=22RlGs_1H3Fby4x00" width="800" height="448" ></figure>A breakdown of police-related summer incidents. CITY OF REHOBOTH BEACH GRAPHIC</div></body>

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Rehoboth Beach officials are likely to eliminate quarters as a parking payment option in 2027. FILE PHOTO. This graph shows how the city used to collect well over $1 million in revenue from quarters. Now, it's closer to $55,000. CITY OF REHOBOTH BEACH GRAPHIC. A quick review of parking-related revenue...

Rehoboth may drop quarters at meters

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Rehoboth Beach officials are likely to eliminate quarters as a parking payment option in 2027. FILE PHOTO. This graph shows how the city used to collect we

Rehoboth may drop quarters at meters

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