PORTLAND, Maine — The Portland City Council voted on Monday to change parking rates in the city from $1.50 to $1.75 per hour.
The proposal was brought forward by City Councilor Belinda Ray toward the end of the budget meeting on May 20. Fellow City Councilor Kimberly Cook is co-sponsoring the amendment.
In her presentation to the Council, Ray city an earlier conversation she had had with other Portland city officials, concerning the city's budget.
"The feeling among the city manager and staff was that there were going to be some really lean years ahead -- and it would be good to have the flexibility to raise parking rates at that time," said Ray at the budget meeting.
She added that this idea isn't something she was proposing lightly -- but compared her proposed parking rate of $1.75 per hour to rates in nearby city Portsmouth, N.H., where rates are $2 per hour.
Ray says that the new parking rates would raise $500,000 in revenue and decrease property tax increases from 4 percent to 3.7 percent.
"Part of the reason we wanted to bring this forward is to try to reduce our mill rate," Ray said. She acknowledged, as well, that Portland's parking rates have gone up 25 cents two times in sequential years.
The Portland City Council voted 5-4 to pass the amendment. Mayor Ethan Strimling and City Councilors Nicholas Mavodones, Spencer Thibodeau, and Pious Ali were opposed.
The Portland Press Herald reports that the higher parking rates will take effect beginning July 1.
The higher fees will be charged at old-fashioned coin meters and the more modern kiosks.
