Port Chester Hikes Parking Meter Rates

Motorists who park in Port Chester will have to dig a little deeper when they feed the meter.

The village Board of Trustees on Monday night approved increasing the basic rates for parking in downtown Port Chester from 75 cents an hour to $1 per hour in an effort to help increase revenue and keep down property taxes.

The increased fees for parking meters are among a series of fee increases for village services such as building and planning applications that were approved to help the 2013-2014 budget.

The parking meter program calls for replacing remaining old-style parking meters with the electronic pay stations that are already in use throughout the downtown. The program extends the hours in which motorist must pay for parking.

On the streets, meters will be in effect until 9 p.m., instead of 6 p.m. In parking lots, meters will be in effect until 9 p.m., instead of 7 p.m.

With the combination of longer hours of metering and additional pay stations, village officials believe Port Chester will see significant increases in revenue. Additionally, the village is expecting to see increased revenue from parking tickets with the extension of meter hours to 9 p.m.

Parking remains free on Sundays and holidays in Port Chester.