Parking in the Carbon County parking lots in Jim Thorpe will soon change, helping to reduce traffic at the entrance of the lot.

On Thursday, the county commissioners adopted an ordinance which established and provides for the parking kiosks and multi-space parking meters. The action also revokes the previous ordinances regarding parking in the county parking lots.

Commissioners’ Chairman Wayne Nothstein said that the county has not yet set a date when the kiosks will go live.

The commissioners previously said they would wait until the busy October month is over.

According to the ordinance, parking kiosks will be monitored from 6 a.m. to 6 p.m. daily.

For those parking in the main county parking lot Monday through Friday, the fee will be $8 for automobiles and $15 for buses, campers and vehicles towing trailers. On weekends and holidays, the fee for the main lot will be $12 for automobiles and $25 for buses, campers and vehicles towing trailers.

Lots along Lehigh Avenue/Route 209 and the Railroad Station/Hooven building will be 50 cents for 30 minutes seven days a week.

On weekends, the administration building and 44/76 Susquehanna St. lots will also be available. The administration building lot will be $12 and the 44/76 Susquehanna St. lot will be 50 cents per 30 minutes.

Visitors can use cash, debit or credit cards or a phone app to put time for their parking spot on the kiosks. A $.25 cent convenience fee is charged on credit cards.

Also, beginning Jan. 1, 2022, county residents can receive up to 2 hours of validated/no fee parking in the main county parking lot, as well as the parking along Route 209 for prescheduled and coordinated official transactions and activities with a county department. Things that qualify for this free parking includes public meetings, voter registration, veterans services, assessment appeals and more.

Last month, Commissioner Chris Lukasevich explained the new rates will bring the county lot in line with the $1 per hour fee at previously metered spots.

“County office hours are 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Monday through Friday thus the consistency between the daily fee of $8 and the hourly rate of 50 cents for 30 minutes at the previously metered spots,” Lukasevich said.

The county purchased the 15 kiosks for the lot and metered areas on Lehigh Avenue and Susquehanna Street from Butts Ticket Company in Cochranville in August 2019.

The total cost of the purchase was $175,550 and was taken out of the parking fund, which is generated by parking fees in the lot.

In July, the board also purchased three CitePro hand held enforcement devices from United Public Safety of Fort Washington at a cost of $ $22,383.64 for the first year and $11,483.64 in years two and three. These devices will be used to read license plates and issue parking tickets.