Cape Elizabeth is one step closer to a decision on whether vehicles will have to pay to park at Fort Williams.

A group of elected officials and town residents have completed their discussions for implementing a fee system at the park. Their recommendations will be submitted to the town council by its June 12 meeting where the council is expected to set a date for a public hearing.

The group was established by the town council in April and was charged with ironing out details for implementing the pay/display system, should the council adopt it. In three sessions, group members worked through details of the plan, including when to charge, how much to charge, methods of payment, who will have to pay for parking and projected revenue.

The working group was comprised of Cape Elizabeth Town Councilors Mary Ann Lynch, Anne Swift-Kayatta and Mike Mowles; Fort Williams Advisory Commission Members Ellen Nadeau, Chuck Wilson and Tina Harnden and two residents, Bill Nickerson and Michelle Taylor.

If the pay/display system were adopted, parking ticket dispensers would be located in all six parking lots. Park users would insert cash or possibly a credit card, receive a ticket and place it on their dashboard or somewhere visible for park staff to see.

The group will also recommend adding a full-time park ranger from April to October to enforce the new fee.

They will also recommend using the money from the parking fees to first to pay off the cost of the meters, which public works Director Bob Malley estimated at a previous meeting costing about $6,500 per unit. Once the meters are paid for, the money will be used to offset park maintenance and upkeep, about $121,000 annually. After that, remaining funds will go towards capital improvements in the park, like the restoration of the Goddard mansion.

It is estimated in the Fort Williams master plan that preservation of the 152-year old mansion will cost about $400,000.

Once all capital improvements are completed, the town will evaluate how best the extra money will serve the town and schools. Lynch said that day won’t soon arrive. “It’ll be a long time before we take care of the needs of the park,” she said.

The committee will recommend charging park visitors from April 1 to Oct. 31, sunrise to sunset. “We’re not looking to charge people off season,” said Lynch.

The group is recommending that Cape residents be exempt from the fees. Instead, their dump sticker will allow them to park at Fort Williams for free. The group suggested a $5 daily fee for non-residents and $25 for a seasonal pass. Tour busses and other buses will be charged $20 per day and $100 for a season pass.

In coming up with their recommendations, Lynch said the group surveyed local park fees. They found Scarborough charges $10 per day for visitors to Pine Point and Ferry Beach.

Lynch said she felt $5 per day and $25 for seasonal parking was reasonable. “We’re trying to be neighborly,” she said, “We’re trying to be cognizant of not wanting to be exclusionary.” The draft meeting notes indicated that some group members wanted a higher seasonal fee.