Local news

City approves mobile pay parking for E. Water Street parking lot

New option to be in place following holidays

LOCK HAVEN -- Those who have been hoping to see alternatives to metered parking within the City of Lock Haven will get just that in 2027, though on a limited basis.

This week, Lock Haven City Council approved a one-year contract with T2 Systems to utilize mobile pay for parking in the city's East Water Street Parking Lot.

City Planner Abbey Kling presented information to council prior to the vote, where she noted Police Chief Matthew Rickard had been working on finding a digital payment option for about a year.

"We've been talking as the city as a whole, couple rounds of councils now and staff about alternatives to meters and what that looks like," Kling said. "The police department looked into mobile pay parking options as a less expensive option to understand the temperature of the city."

Kling added, in staff's research, comparisons to nearby municipalities like State College Borough and Williamsport don't produce applicable data.

"We can't compare ourselves to State College or Williamsport because we're not the same," she said. "And we can't jump from coin meters with 15 minutes free, straight to mobile pay without something in the middle.

Though the contract, which will cost roughly $7,000, with T2 Systems is not actually labeled as a trial-run, Kling said that's just how city staff hope to utilize it.

"You'll still have the meter options for the coins and the sign will allow you to pay via phone," she said. "There will not be kiosks where it accepts cash. We're just seeing how the mobile thing works at this point in time."

Kling explained the application's software allows the city's police department to gather data regarding usage, the average number of hours a car may utilize a parking spot and more.

When it comes to enforcement, she said the mobile app requires a license plate number be entered during payment, which police department staff will use during enforcement.

The mobile pay option, she noted, will incorporate a 75 cent transaction fee for each use, with the typical 25 cent per hour rate that the East Water Street parking lot currently has.

It will also send a text when time is running out, giving the option to pay for more time. The transaction fee, she said, would be paid again in this instance.

Prior to a vote, council members offered comments and asked questions about the proposal.

Councilmember Jeff Brinker asked if other options have been reviewed prior to T2 Systems.

Kling said Chief Rickard had reviewed a number of mobile pay options, though she was unable to give specific names.

Brinker asked if there was a review on what the long-term costs of mobile pay could be, if council chooses to expand the number of parking lots using the software.

Kling said those numbers weren't prepared, but noted council would need to review any possible expansions of the mobile pay service and its associated costs before it could happen.

Mayor Joel Long reminded council the contract was for one-year and was being treated as a trial period.

"This is stepping our toes in the water and seeing how this works. I think the points you make are absolutely something we need to keep an eye on throughout this test period, if you will, on how it may go," Long said. "It's not like we're marrying ourselves to this choice, it's just a way to test it out."

Councilmember Micah Clausen questioned if the mobile pay option would be a hindrance to residents and visitors, noting he's more inclined to carry extra change to feed a meter rather than use his phone.

Instead, Clausen proposed the city consider making all parking free and raise fines by $5 to $10.

"I believe we could make the same revenue on parking in the city if we did free parking and then raised the fines to $10. Like a two hour limit in front of businesses and we use "Virtual Chalking" — it's like a mobile device that has a camera, reads a license plate, has GPS," he said.

Clausen proposed tabling the contract to review this option further. However, a motion was made by Councilmember Rick Conklin and seconded by Councilmember Barb Masorti to approve the contract as-is.

Before a vote, Brinker asked if staff were able to hear testimonies from other entities that use T2 System's software.

Masorti noted Chief Rickard and even his predecessor had been working on potential mobile pay options and alternatives to meters for some time.

"I'm going to assume Chief Rickard did his due diligence. He wouldn't have brought something to us that is going to be a major headache for the police department," she said.

Clausen said he felt the $7,000 was a lot of money to spend before exploring his proposed option first.

"That option has been discussed in the City of Lock Haven for the past 25 years," Masorti noted.

Long thanked Clausen for bringing up the idea, but noted it was a bit later in the process to do so.

"I think bringing that up at this point is a little late in the game," he said.

Following council's discussion, the contract was approved in a 6-1 vote, with Clausen voting against the option.

Kling told council the goal is to have signage, featuring the QR codes that lead to the mobile pay option, that will be installed closer to the end of the holidays, with the intention to have the option in place in the East Water Street parking lot by early 2027.

She said this was being done because the city always offers free parking in all of its lots throughout the holiday season.