In a move to modernize local parking management and address resident suggestions, Jim Thorpe Borough officials unveiled Thursday night a proposed new online system for purchasing annual parking permits and guest passes.

The presentation, led by Dominic Madera, a member of the borough’s parking enforcement team, demonstrated how residents living in permit-required areas will soon be able to purchase annual parking permits and daily guest passes through an online portal accessible through the police department’s webpage.

Residential permit parking areas are designated from 5 West Broadway to 415 West Broadway inclusive and all of High Street.

The new system aims to solve what officials described as “the single biggest complaint” from residents — the inability to obtain guest passes outside of borough office hours, particularly on weekends.

“We see it all the time,” Madera said. “We get phone calls. We try to work the best we can with the public, but this is definitely something that we felt that we can try to address. That’s the reason why we came up with the online option for the guest passes.”

The digital system will operate through the borough’s existing T2 parking management infrastructure.

According to the presentation, residents need to provide personal information including name, address, email, phone number, and vehicle details when registering for permits.

“I think based on the fact that that’s been the single biggest complaint with the guest passes, not being able to obtain one on the weekends ... I think it’s a great, great option for the residents,” Council President Greg Strubinger said.

The annual permit will still cost $15 when purchased in person at the borough office, but will include a service charge bringing the total to approximately $17.50 when purchased online. Similarly, guest passes will still cost $5 in person but approximately $7.50 online due to the service charge required by the T2 system.

A key feature of the new system is that it will automatically update the parking enforcement officers’ handheld devices, eliminating the need for physical indicators for guest passes purchased online.

“When a guest pass is purchased online it will go straight from this system to our handheld devices so you won’t need to put anything in the window,” Madera said. “But there is an option to print the confirmation and put that in the window if someone desires to do that.”

The system will also maintain current permit requirements, including the need for permit holders to have all outstanding parking tickets paid before being eligible to purchase new permits.

“If you have one unpaid parking ticket through our T2 system, you will not be able to purchase the annual permit,” Madera said. “And only annual permit holders can purchase a guest pass.”

According to the presentation, the current ordinance bases permit eligibility on the number of drivers with valid licenses living at an address, not on the number of vehicles registered to a household. The online system will require driver’s license information to maintain this requirement.

Physical permits would still be used for annual permit holders, with the borough providing stickers to successful applicants.

Jim Thorpe’s police officers are currently being trained on using the handheld devices, which will allow them to verify permit status when responding to parking complaints.

Borough officials indicated the language and pricing in the ordinance may need review before implementation.

“We’re going to have to review all of that because we have to ensure that we’re covering our costs,” Borough Manager Maureen Sterner said.

The new system was described as being included in the borough’s existing contract with T2, meaning no additional setup costs were incurred.

“We didn’t have to pay for the setup,” Madera said.

Strubinger expressed support for the modernization effort.

“Online options are becoming pretty commonplace today,” he said. “People like to have the option to do that right from home.”

The time frame for implementation was not specifically discussed during the presentation, but officials indicated they would need to “review and update” language in the ordinance before putting the online system into practice.