Oct 30, 2012 1 min read

Parking rates in the city of Washington won’t be going down any time soon, but there will be newer meters to feed in order to do business in town.Tom Kearns, city parking director, told council Monday night he received 200 refurbished electronic meters he recently purchased for $56 each. Brand new meters cost $150 each, he said.The recent batch of meters brings the city’s contingency of “new” meters to 420, replacing the older mechanical meters, which according to Kearns, have been in town for decades.”They’re ancient,” said Kearns at council’s monthly agenda meeting. “We’re at about three-quarters of the way” to replacing all the old meters.The electronic meters will allow parking officials to change rates and times more easily with a handheld device. At the time Kearns spoke with Mayor Brenda Davis about new meters, there was talk about the city perhaps lowering parking rates. But, Kearns said the parking rates will remain the same for the present.The city increased its parking rates late in 2009. Rates went to 25 cents for 15 minutes with the first ticket fine being $10.