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City Council approves parking meter price increase

Kelsey Bishop, Community Editor

Oxford City Council approved a price increase for prime parking spots uptown at its meeting Sept. 21.

The 5-0 vote redefined short-term parking from 15 to 20 minutes and increased the price at short-term parking meters from 10 to 25 cents.

The number of short-term parking meters will increase from five to 16 meters.

"Our goal is to generate some parking turnover by providing more short-term parking for over 100 businesses uptown," Lt. Bob Holzworth of the Oxford Police Department said at the Sept. 7 meeting.

The ordinance also applies to meters in high-density parking areas uptown, which will increase the price from 25 to 50 cents per hour. High-density parking zones include the two-hour meters on High Street between Campus and College avenues, East and West Park Place and the south portion of Lot 52 (the parking lot adjacent to The Lofts of Bella Place).

The new prices will go into effect Oct. 21. This is the first parking meter rate increase since 1993.