EMMAUS, Pa. — The borough for the first time will install metered parking kiosks in town, at the municipal lot at 311 Main St.
Borough council unanimously approved the move Monday night.
- Emmaus Borough Council OK'd parking kiosks at a borough-controlled lot at 311 Main St.
- The kiosks come with a set of rules, fees and other guidelines of how they are to be regulated
- The borough also approved hiring emergency service workers, including a new deputy police chief
The 44-space parking lot adjacent to the Wells Fargo bank ATM will have an hourly rate of $1 an hour.
Long-term monthly parking permits for residents will be $35 per month, with only 10 daytime and 10 nighttime permits allotted in the lot per month. These are restricted to 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. for daytime permits and 6 p.m. to 8 a.m. for evening/nighttime permits.
The rates were set by a separate resolution, and will be amended as part of the annual budgeting process.
Borough Manager Shane Pepe said the borough wanted to ensure no more than a quarter of the spaces were dedicated to long-term parking.
Under the ordinance, violators will be fined at least $20.
Violations set by the state's motor vehicle code, such as parking on private property or parking too far from the curb, will have a fine of at least $15.
Fees will increase following 10 days of fines going unpaid.
Easier pathway for future kiosks
The ordinance establishes the authority and procedure for introducing parking kiosks, making the process smoother if Emmaus decides to introduce more in the future.
Pepe said at council's Feb. 21 meeting that the decision to introduce metered parking arose over how to regulate the lot, which the borough rents.
"(That) doesn't mean that it is not a conversation council will not have."Borough Manager Shane Pepe, on the prospect of other kiosk locations
"We felt that the best way to meter that parking was what most municipalities are doing today, and that's a kiosk parking style," Pepe said.
There are no immediate plans to introduce kiosks at other locations in the borough.
"[That] doesn't mean that it is not a conversation council will not have," Pepe said. "[But] there have not been any discussions."
A target date for having the lot kiosks operable was not discussed.
New hires and updated process
Council also approved an ordinance establishing processes for hiring and promoting upper management employees, including borough manager, assistant borough manager, chief of police and other department heads.
Hiring for a vacant or new position will require external advertising to external and internal candidates; promotions of current borough employees within the same department would not have to be advertised.
Following the approval, council made a number of hires and appointments, including Bryan Hamscher as deputy police chief; Christani Allerano and Shelby Delserro as full-time paramedics; and Leanne Ruch as a part-time EMT.
The borough also announced release of the new issue of the borough newsletter for spring 2023.
