East Lyme — On Saturday three of Connecticut's state parks began collecting the 6.35 percent sales tax on parking fees, but the increase didn't seem to deter visitors from coming to Rocky Neck State Park, where the parking lot was full by 11:30 a.m.

The sales tax was tucked into the budget bill passed by the Connecticut General Assembly at the end of June. The tax is expected to raise $210,000 for the state's general fund, the primary mechanism for financing the state's operations.

Two employees working for Connecticut State Parks who were collecting parking fees at Rocky Neck said each transaction took longer since visitors had to pay with change rather than in whole amounts. A sign posted at the booth detailed the new parking fees as $13.83 for Connecticut residents and $23.40 for non-residents.

The employees said that most people were aware of the increase and that many people tried to refuse the 17 cents they were due back in change. The workers also said they were stocked with plenty of change for the day.

The Department of Energy and Environmental Protection was not aware of the changes until after they were approved by the legislature, according to Friends of Connecticut State Parks. The Friends group has spoken out against the tax, which also is being charged at Hammonasset Beach State Park in Madison and Sherwood Island State Park in Westport.

"It really is a back-door fee increase because 100 percent of park fees already go to the general fund. So they're tacking 6.35 percent on top of a fee that they get all of anyway, and they did so without affording an opportunity for public debate," Eileen Grant, Friends of Connecticut State Parks president, said by phone Sunday.

Grant said the tax would be a burden on those with "lower economic means."

"We want people out in our state parks, to be able to enjoy them and afford it," she said.

Richard Mehl of Rocky Hill, who described himself as a frequent user of the park, said he was not aware of the increase before arriving Sunday.

"It is a big deal because they don't even keep this place up," Mehl said while walking back to his car. "The bathrooms aren't even open over here so I mean I'm paying for what? Something that they're not even taking care of. We're paying enough taxes as it is." 

Around 1:30 p.m. traffic was congested about a half mile in either direction of Rocky Neck. About thirty minutes later, the parking lot was reopened. Later on in the day traffic was still flowing steadily in and out of the park.

Patty Butler of Chaplin heard about the tax on the news.

"It wasn't that much more," Butler said while retrieving something out of her car.

"We got right in, got our place, everthing, so it worked out good," she continued, adding that she arrived at the park around 10 a.m.

j.bergman@theday.com

Twitter: @JuliaSBergman