Say Goodbye to Downtown Free Parking Come December, Merry Christmas?

"On the first day of December, my true love gave to me, A PARKING TICKET!!" Hey, I just paid my off from New Year's Eve at $75 bucks! The world is changing, nothing is free, and it looks like our constantly pushing the free 20-minute button will soon be gone.

December is when Christmas goes into full swing with Christmas lights, tree lots on each corner and those holiday shows. You might want to check the meter because that free Saturday parking might just be finished. The Boise City Council is considering changing parking regulations that affect several zones.

• Increased Enforcement Hours for Metered Parking:
  • Mon-Fri from 8 a.m. - 8 p.m.
  • Sat from 8 a.m. - 5 p.m. in zones 1 and 2.
• New Metered Parking Rates:
  • .50 cent increase in premium zones.
  • .25 cent increase for the first hour and .75 cent increase on second for standard zones.
• Parking Fines:
  • $20 on expired meters up from $15 and a $7 dollar increase to $25 on time zone violations.

If approved, these new rates will be effective February 1, 2018.