The Real Deal About Parking Meter Fees

What Gossips reported last night about increased fees for parking meters was based on what Mayor William Hallenbeck said at the special Common Council meeting, when presenting the 2013 budget. This morning, City Treasurer Eileen Halloran contacted Gossips to correct what was reported. As it turns out, the fees for parking meters on the street will not change. A quarter will still buy you the right to park for an hour, and you can put in two quarters at a time to buy a maximum of two hours. 

Where the rules are changing is in the municipal parking lots: the one behind City Hall, the two in the 300 block of Warren Street, and the one on Union Street next to what was once the Elks Club. In these parking lots, 25 cents now buys right to park for two hours. That is changing. In the future, the meters in the municipal lots will be the same as the meters on the streets: one hour for 25 cents. You will still be able to park for twelve hours in a municipal lot. It will just cost twice as much. If you plan to leave your car in a municipal lot for twelve hours, you'll have to feed twelve quarters into the meter instead of six.

The proposed 2013 City Budget is now online, along with Mayor Hallenbeck's presentation. The public meeting to discuss the budget is scheduled for Monday, November 19.