Middletown considers upping parking meter prices as other costs continue to rise

In Middletown, the Parking Advisory Committee is trying to balance their low parking rates with making downtown a destination worth paying for.

In fact, parking in Middletown right now might feel like a discount.

"I’ve found that the prices have been pretty low for a long time,” Judy Nacca, of Wallingford, said.

But, that $1 an hour rate might not last forever.

“We have to make sure we do it right. But we know that they do have to increase,” Pamela Steele, the chair of the Middletown Parking Advisory Committee, said.

Steele said the Parking Advisory Committee would love to add parking spots and staff, create parking discounts for small business workers, add security and lighting to some lots, free parking on Saturdays and consider switching to kiosks instead of meters.

“The whole point of this is not to just look at where we are now, but five to 10 years down the road,” Steele said.

She's a small business owner in the city, who said money for those initiatives and general upkeep for parking needs to come from somewhere.

"Given other cities and what they charge for parking, we are losing a lot of revenue,” Steele said.

Middletown is thought to have the lowest parking rate in the state at $1, compared to roughly $1.50 in Bridgeport, $1.75 in West Hartford to as high as $1.93 in New Haven, via the ParkMobile App.

Steele said Middletown’s hourly parking rate hasn't changed since 2011. But the exact number for a future new price is yet to be determined.

“We're not saying we're going to raise our rates to what everybody else is doing. But we definitely are looking at increasing it at some point to something - just not sure what and when,” Steele said.

The idea is concerning to some and raising questions for others.

"It would be difficult for me, yeah,” Hemant Patel, of Middletown, said.

"It depends on where the money is going, what’s the increase for?” Patrick Rittmond, of Meriden, said.

Even so, many we spoke with said they understand why this could be a possibility in today’s economy.

"It would make sense that they would raise it to create revenue for the city,” Nacca said.

"If it hasn't been increased in 2011 then I think it's fair to increase it a little bit, you have to incur some costs,” Rittmond said.

No changes are set in stone yet, as the Parking Advisory Committee said they are still doing their homework before they would bring a proposal to the general council and eventually the city council.

They expect to make progress in the next few months.