Jim Thorpe residents, business owners and employees voiced strong opposition Thursday night to a proposed fee hike for downtown parking kiosks and extended enforcement hours.

The comments came during borough council’s most highly attended workshop in recent memory due to an advertised discussion on tourism, events and parking.

Last month, Jim Thorpe authorized its solicitor to draft an ordinance amendment changing the cost of parking at a kiosk space from $1 per hour to $2 per hour Monday through Thursday and $3 per hour Friday-Sunday. If using a credit card, the cost will be $2.50 per hour Monday through Thursday and $3.50 per hour Friday through Sunday.

Jill Williams, who owns Flower Moon Plants and Crafts in the Douglas House Marketplace on Broadway, told a packed large group instruction room at Jim Thorpe High School, where the borough is holding its meetings due to construction at Memorial Hall, that the kiosk rate hike “really concerns her.”

“The first thing I thought of were the residents and the people who work downtown that have to park,” Williams said. “Parking is an added expense for people to be able to work downtown. When I worked at the spa at the Inn at Jim Thorpe, parking really cut into my pay. It’s really stressful.”

Raising parking prices, Broadway Grille and Pub employee Marianne Rustad said, will likely only hurt Jim Thorpe residents.

“Tourists will pay top dollar to park and not think twice,” Rustad said. “They’ll pay the towing fee. This is really only going to hurt local residents. This cost is really more than local people can afford. They’ll start to look for work elsewhere.”

Jim Pompa, who owns Soundcheck Records, also attends church at St. Mark’s and St. John’s Episcopal Church on Race Street. He told council Thursday he’s worried what an increased cost to park will do to the congregation.

“I can walk but when you have people coming from the east side or out of town, at $3 an hour it could cost them $6 or $7 just to go to church,” Pompa said. “I think a lot of the money that council is saying is left on the table will come from the residents and not the tourists. We’re the ones who are here all the time.”

Council has not passed the ordinance to increase kiosk fees yet, but the possibility of it happening is already having a ripple effect on businesses.

“I’ve had workers tell me they will not be able to work for me anymore,” Margaret White, owner of Stone Row Pub and Eatery on Race Street, said. “That’s concerning because we are a specialty restaurant who need employees with specialized skills. To hear we may lose them, it worries me.”

Another new ordinance, which council also authorized its solicitor to draft last month, will create a program that will prohibit non-borough residents from parking in any non-kiosk spaces Friday-Sunday from May 15-Dec. 31 each year.

The move, council said, is aimed at keeping spaces in front of homes in residential neighborhoods from being parked up by tourists. Residents would get a permit, at no cost, to hang in their vehicle.

Several residents told council Thursday, however, they didn’t feel the move was warranted.

“Other than Oct. 28, 2023, it really hasn’t been an issue in our block,” Valerie Saveri, of the 500-block of Center Avenue, said. “My major concern is with the concept of guest passes. I think May-December to have this in place is excessive. We do not need to register every friend or family member who comes to our house for nine months out of the year.”

More of a concern according to Dave Drury, Inn at Jim Thorpe owner, is parking for employees working downtown.

“We all have to understand our industry here is tourism and it isn’t going away,” Drury said. “I think the borough really needs to look into options for remote parking for people who work in town.”

Council President Greg Strubinger said Thursday’s conversation was encouraging and will help guide the governing body as it makes its future decisions.

“It’s been a very helpful discussion,” Strubinger said. “Everybody is aware we have had some challenges with some of the traffic, both vehicles and pedestrians. It’s a good problem, but it does come with challenges. After last year’s uptick, we wanted to gather everyone together and try to come up with a little better solution. If you don’t attempt something, nothing will change.”