Jenkintown council authorizes shift from coin meters to ParkMobile-style electronic payments

Jenkintown Borough Council voted to authorize borough administration to transition on-street coin-operated parking meters to an electronic payment system, part of an upgrade officials expect to complete in December 2024.

The decision followed a public-comment exchange in which a resident warned that the added transaction fee and stricter enforcement could hurt local businesses and delivery drivers, saying, “That’s a lot of extra money that I just wanted to run in some place,” and warning that excessive ticketing could drive deliveries to locker services and harm commerce in Jenkintown. Council members acknowledged the concerns and said clearer public guidance would be provided.

Engineer and staff presentations earlier in the meeting noted that some existing meters are in disrepair and that new coin-operated models are no longer being manufactured, factors the administration cited in recommending the change. A councilor said banks and payment processors have “forced our hands” and that the modernization balances operational realities with accessibility concerns.

Councilors who supported the motion said the administration will work to minimize hardship for residents and to provide clear instructions and links to the electronic-payment vendor when the change is posted publicly. The motion to authorize the administration to proceed was seconded and approved by unanimous vote.

The council said it will continue work on resident permit parking and hold additional public meetings to refine enforcement and permit details. The expected completion date for the parking payment modernization is December 2024.