STROUDSBURG, Pa. — Max Kubiak is used to paying the parking meter on Main Street in Stroudsburg when he goes to the gym. But this was the first day he had to go back in his wallet to pull out more change, and it was not because he was working out longer than usual.
"It didn't go as far as usual. I think it's about half off now. So instead of 30 minutes, it was 15," said Kubiak. "So, I just popped a couple more in."
Kubiak, like many, has been doing a double take when it comes to putting money in the meter.
The borough is upping its parking rates, and not just for meters, but parking tickets too.
The fine if you forget to pay the meter is $30. That's up $10 from last year.
"Honestly, we need more money for our budget, and instead of raising property taxes, this is a way to make it fairer, so more people paid income, and I think it's going to work out well," said Lawrence Kopp, the Stroudsburg borough manager.
Up until now, 50 cents would get you one hour of parking, but now it's going to take $1 to get you an hour of parking, and people here aren't happy about it.
"I have to put in how many quarters for two hours? Eight quarters, which I don't have on me, so that's going to be a problem. It's going to cut my dining short, and you know it's really absurd, really absurd. It discourages people from coming into town, that's for sure," said Karen Fisher of Marshalls Creek.
Kopp says money from the new parking rates will go right back into the borough, helping with projects like repaving streets.
"About 40 percent of our properties here in the borough are rental properties in the borough plus all of the people who come in to show or our visitors, so they're going to help pay for services that before was basically carried on the back of the taxpayers," Kopp said.
He estimates overall, the borough will be looking at a $500,000 increase in income for borough services.
All parking meters in Stroudsburg will be updated starting next week.
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