Under the budget passed by the Kingston Common Council on Tuesday, users of nine municipal parking lots in the city will be able to purchase annual parking passes for $100 or monthly permits for $20.
Parking in the city-owned lots was free until August when — under a plan pushed by Noble and passed by the Common Council — the city installed payment kiosks and began charging an hourly rate of 75 cents to park. Responding to criticism that the pay-to-park plan was onerous for people live and work in Uptown Kingston and rely on the lots, the city instituted a $10 annual parking pass. The passes, which took effect in October, entitled holders to park in the lots without further payment.
In the 2018 budget developed by Noble and approved by the council this week, the price of the annual passes will rise to $100. The budget also includes a new option, $20 monthly passes that will be available for purchase directly from the payment kiosks. Noble said the monthly passes were introduced based on feedback from boaters and other seasonal visitors to the city who regularly park in the lots.
Mayoral spokeswoman Megan Weiss-Rowe said this week that the monthly passes would be available beginning next month. She added that the city was currently working with a vendor to enable online ordering of the annual passes. Weiss-Rowe said the city expected to announce more details the annual pass program later this month. The $10 annual passes are set to expire on Dec. 31.
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