ZELIENOPLE — Residents and frequenters of the area may see changes soon to municipal parking.

Borough council Monday evening voted to advertise an ordinance allowing for free, three-hour parking in the borough’s municipal parking lots, including the new one being built behind the Kaufman House.

“It think it’s a great thing. Hopefully it will work,” council President Allen Bayer said. “It will be more business friendly. We’re optimistic.”

Parking would be enforced from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Saturday. No parking will be permitted from 3 to 5 a.m. with the exception of special permits issued to people living in apartments on Main Street or those staying overnight at the Kaufman House.

The electronic kiosks used to pay for parking will be removed with the new regulations, although Bayer said this will not happen “for quite some time.” The new parking lot was also planned to have two kiosks until recently when the idea for free parking was proposed.

Bayer said council’s “biggest concern” was that the parking lots may used like the Park and Ride on Route 528 in Jackson Township.

“We can see people ... dropping off three cars in our lot and jumping into one car to go to work in Pittsburgh,” he said. “But we’re going to put up signage which is rather stern in penalties and will be monitored by cameras.”

Borough Police Chief Jim Miller said the free, two-hour parking on Main Street implemented earlier this year has been successful.

“I’ve only had one complaint,” Miller said of Main Street parking. “So everybody is behaving or nobody is telling us.”

Miller also said purchasing two kiosks would cost the borough about $18,000. Bayer said the borough was “breaking even” in revenues generated from the kiosks.

“You also have your monthly recurring fees,” Miller said. “I think it would be easier to start free.”

“If we put two more kiosks in the new parking lot, it will just exacerbate the whole idea,” Bayer added. “If we can avoid it, that will be great.”

Those caught violating the parking restrictions will be fined $25. Repeat violators will be fined an additional $25 for each violation.

Violators who do not pay a fine after being notified by police will face an additional fine of “not more than $300 plus costs.”

Trucks over 10 tons will not be permitted in the parking lots except for a local delivery.

Parking of any type of trailer and vehicles towing trailer also will be prohibited.

Two-hour parking restrictions on Clay and High Streets will be abolished with the new ordinance.

“I think the worst-case scenario for the borough is if nobody cooperates, we have the kiosks,” Miller said. “But I don’t see that happening. If everybody does what they have been doing, we shouldn’t have any issues.”

Council will next meet on Friday, Dec. 23, at 8:30 a.m.

Tax rate remains same

Borough council Monday evening voted for no tax increases in the new year.

The borough’s tax rates will remain at 5.31 mills in 2017.

A mill equals $1 in tax revenue for each $1,000 of a property’s assessed value. Each mill generates $28,854.

Council members said it’s “great” that the borough’s tax rate has not increased in the past few years.

Council will vote on its 2017 budget at its next meeting.

The budget’s revenue and expense totals for 2017 are set at about $10.98 million, an increase of about $410,000 from this year.

Funds for street project

The borough is seeking more state funding for its revitalization project.

Borough council voted Monday evening to apply for a $1.67 million multimodal grant for the State Department of Transportation for Main Street improvements, also called the “streetscape” project.

Improvements include sidewalk enhancements, crosswalk safety improvements, pedestrian lighting, traffic signals, driveway aprons, ADA-compliant curb ramps, underground utilities and intersection upgrades.

“It’s perfect for what we’re trying to do,” borough manager Don Pepe said of the grant.

The borough intends to improve Main Street in two phases, one from Spring Street to Beaver Street and the other from Spring Street to New Castle Street.

The borough was recently awarded about $1 million in funding from the state Department of Community and Economic Development for this part of the revitalization project.

The project is expected to be completed sometime in 2018.