Phoenix OKs 90-cent hike for parking meters
Arizona Coin Collector
On the story below.
With the increase in unemployment, and a decrease
in tax revenues, some thirdly state governments,
county governments, and city governments, are
having to deal with the budget short fall. Phoenix
Arizona is no exception.
I am waiting to see someone park their car, go
to the trunk of the car, take out a pipe cutter and
remove the parking meter, and place it in there
trunk with the pipe cutter. Were is "cool hand luke"
when you need him?
Just guessing, the meters will not take dollar
coins. At least not yet anyway.
----------------------------------------
FROM:
http://www.azcentral.com/news/articles/2008/12/18/20081218phx-meters1219.html
Phoenix OKs 90-cent hike for parking meters
by Scott Wong - Dec. 18, 2008 11:27 AM
The Arizona Republic
Starting next year, you may want to keep a few extra
coins lying around in your car.
The Phoenix City Council this week voted to more
than double the cost of parking meters to $1.50 per
hour, up from just 60 cents per hour.
The council also decided to expand enforcement of
its 2,300 city meters to 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. Monday
through Saturday. Currently, motorists drop coins
in meters only between 8 a.m. and 5 p.m. weekdays
to avoid getting a ticket.
The rate increase comes as the city looks to find
ways to generate revenue and close an estimated
$250 million budget shortfall for the fiscal year
that ends in 2010. The increase, which would be
phased in from January through March, is expected
to bring the city more than $1.3 million a year.
John Morgan, who oversees the city's meters,
said charging motorists more for street parking
also benefits downtown businesses such as sandwich
shops, barbers and banks, whose customers rely on
meter parking for their quick visits.
"It encourages turnover parking," Morgan said.
"The meters were so cheap people were using them
for long-term parking."
Phoenix's meter rates had not increased since
1992, and a study by the City Auditor Department
found that Phoenix's rates were lower than those
of eight comparable cities.
Las Vegas and Denver rates are $1 per hour, while
San Diego and Sacramento charge $1.25. Meters in
car-dominated Los Angeles cost $4 per hour.
Mayor Phil Gordon has asked city staff to look
into varying the rate of meters outside Phoenix's
downtown core based on demand.
Staffers also plan to research new technology
for meter payment, including those that take
credit and debit cards and cash.
And they'll look at increasing fines for
expired meters. Fines now cost $31 but are
reduced to $15 if payments are received early.
Parking-meter revenue in Phoenix has remained
fairly flat the past 20 years. Last year, the
city's 2,328 parking meters - most of them are
downtown - hauled in about $1.1 million. In
1987, city meters generated $945,000.
..
Lorrie S.
They're all just shit slums full of half-humans anyway.
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