A Jim Thorpe business owner questioned Carbon County commissioners Thursday about a proposed parking fee increase.

Commissioners are considering increasing parking fees in the county-owned lots in Jim Thorpe.

The proposal is to charge $10 for all weekends from April through December. The fee would be $6 a day from January through March.

Now, the county charges $6 per day on weekends, $5 a day on weekdays, and $10 a day on special event weekends.

Tom Lux, who owns the Mauch Chunk 5 & 10, said he doesn’t think the fees should be increased between April and December.

Lux said he doesn’t think the fees should be increased for the county parking lot because, rather than pay the higher fee, tourists will park in residential areas.

“I don’t think it’s fair to someone who lives in West Broadway or up on the Heights or on the East Side to have a bunch of New York plates on their street where they would normally park their car because someone didn’t want to pay $10 to park their car on a rainy Sunday in April,” he said.

Lux also said he was concerned the proposed seasonal rate increase may discourage tourists from using the county lot — or discourage them altogether.

Instead, he suggested having the increase start in July.

“April, May and June are still quite lean months for most merchants here,” he said.

Lux also said the toll booth at the entrance to the county parking lot causes traffic to be backed up. He asked commissioners to meet with the Jim Thorpe tourist agency and resident to figure out a solution.

Nothstein said the booth is to be moved back, making more room for vehicles that are queuing up to pay.