RSVP Pass Sales Lag Outside 94941

has launched its annual post-holiday quest to boost sales of the Resident Shopper Vehicle Program (RSVP) stickers, which allow permit holders to park in a metered parking space for free for two hours.

City officials say they hope the pro-rated prices – the program runs from Aug. 1 to July 31 and stickers are now $25 instead of $40 – rejuvenate sales of the stickers as they did in 2011, particularly on the heels of the when no one has to worry about parking meters.

“We’re pretty close to where we were before,” Mayor Garry Lion said about RSVP sales.

As of Jan. 5, 2,586 RSVP stickers have been sold, a slight uptick from the 2,529 that had been sold by this time last year, according to Lt. Ken Dunkel, who oversees the program. Overall, 2,962 stickers were sold in 2010-2011, eh said.

But although sales are slightly better this year than last year, the city’s decision to to include residents of Belvedere, Tiburon, Sausalito and Corte Madera hasn’t spurred sales.

To date, less than 50 stickers have been sold to residents of those communities, with Tiburon leading the way at 27. Lion noted that the program hasn’t had the marketing push behind it that it did when it launched in July 2010.

But city officials said the lack of sales in nearby communities simply affirms the original intent of the program: to incite 94941 residents to shop locally. The promise of free parking, it seems, hasn’t been enough to spur shoppers from other communities to come to Mill Valley often enough to make it worth their while to buy an RSVP sticker.

“Maybe it’s an indicator that is doing what it is supposed to do,” said Councilwoman Shawn Marshall.

Lion also noted that while the city wants to grow its revenue from the RSVP program, the more stickers sold also means lower revenue from parking meter fares and parking tickets. City officials projected revenue from meters and fines to go down in 2010-2011 as a result of the RSVP program, but .

“We’re actually losing money the more we sell,” he said. “We’re not disappointed that sales haven’t been broader and we didn’t think it was going to be something that would be drawing people from a distance. And we’ve generated more people staying in town and shopping here.”

Recent support Lion’s claim. General retail sales produced a 6.8 percent rise in sales tax revenue in the quarter ended Sept. 30 compared to the same period a year ago, according a report from Finance Director Eric Erickson delivered to the City Council in November.

As of Jan. 2, the cost of the RSVP parking pass for Mill Valley residents dropped from $40 to $25 and from $60 to $35 for residents of Belvedere, Tiburon, Sausalito and Corte Madera. Passes are good until July 31, 2012. 

In conjunction with the pro-rated sale, will pay for a $25 pass if a customers spends $350 on groceries there in the month of January. Residents should save their receipts totaling $350 or more and bring them along with the RSVP receipt and the market will issue a $25 credit toward their next purchase. 

RSVP stickers are available online and at the Police Department at 1 Hamilton Drive, Monday - Thursday 8 a.m. – 5 p.m. and Friday 8 a.m. – 4 p.m. Proof of local residency is required.