Imperialville is a small community located on a barrier island.  The year round population is about 5,000 and expands to about 15,000 in the summer.  On street parking is free year round and many of the dead-end streets on the ocean front side of the island serve as public access sites.  These streets are marked with access big signs noting that there are public access points at the end of the street.  There are also several small public parking lots located near the beach and downtown commercial district that charge $.25 per hour year round.  The commercial district is also located along the beach and has a small 1,000-foot boardwalk and public fishing pier.  The vast majority of the businesses located in the commercial district generate approximately ¾ of their revenue during the summer season.  During the summer season, the beaches are very crowded, particularly near the boardwalk area, and it is often difficult to find parking on a busy summer weekend on any of the streets near the beaches.  Residents complain about illegal parking, beach goers leaving trash, and being disruptive.  The town spends considerable funding during the summer months to pay for lifeguards, fire-rescue personnel, trash collection, and police.  It is not uncommon to have police calls as a result of fights and other disturbances in the commercial district at night in the summer.  The local police department also reports that thefts and other minor crimes increase dramatically in the summer months.  Collectively, these problems appear to be worsening every year, and residents frequently complain about these problems at town council meetings.

This past year witnessed a dramatic turnover in the town council and a new mayor was elected whose platform involved restoring the small town character of Imperialville.  At one of the first council meetings he made a series of proposals to limit access to the communities beaches during the summer months.  On street parking during the summer season was limited to year round residents.  Seasonal residents and tourists renting homes could purchase a parking pass for $150 for the season or $20 for a week.  Approximately 1,000 parking spaces would be provided for out of town residents and have meters charging $2 per hour.  These spaces would only be located on streets near the downtown commercial district and boardwalk.  The public lots serving the downtown commercial district will have their rates raised to $2 per hour as well.  Residents and non-residents would be charged a fee to use the town’s beaches.  Town residents would pay $50 for the season or $5 per week and must show proof of residency.  Non-residents would pay $200 for the season or $15 per week.  In return, you receive a beach badge that must be worn at all times.  The mayor has further proposed removing all of the public access signs for street ends noting that this may further discourage nonresidents from using these public rights of way.  However, new signs encouraging public access near the downtown/boardwalk area would be installed.  The town will contract with a private firm to administer and enforce both programs and there will be stiff fines be applied.  The revenue estimates indicate that these proposals will easily generate in excess of $1 million a year, more than enough to pay for the additional services the town provides in the summer.  In fact, it may allow the city to improve some of its services (e.g., life guarding).

Imagine you are the town planner.  The mayor has asked for you to evaluate his proposal and its impacts on the community.  What are its strengths and weaknesses?  Are there any problems with it from a public policy standpoint?  Are there any potential legal problems?  Do you have any alternative suggestions for dealing with the problems?  What is your recommendation to the Mayor?  Be sure to clearly describe any proposed changes to his proposal. 

This assignment should take the form of memo.  It is limited to 3 single-spaced, 12 point font pages, with 1 inch margins and must be in a standard memo format (most word processing software has templates).  The reason that a memo format is required is that it is the standard means of communication in the world of business and government.  Thus, this assignment will help develop your ability to analyze policy questions and to think, act, and communicate more effectively about environmental issues and problems.

Your memos will be evaluated based on your analysis of the problem, the organization of your ideas, your ability to properly apply the theories, concepts, and legal precedents discussed in class and the quality of your writing (e.g., spelling, grammar, punctuation, etc.).  Your goal is to write as clearly, concisely, and directly as possible.  Elegance of style, while desirable, is a secondary consideration.  Short declarative sentences often convey ideas equally well; convoluted grammar confuses things and often leads to misunderstandings.  Remember that you are trying to convey your ideas to people who have infinite demands on their time.  A simple, direct style economizes on time.