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Mount Rainier council reviews ordinance to replace parking meters with paid parking zones; concerns raised about access for seniors and small businesses
Summary
Ordinance 05-2026 would replace coin parking meters with QR-code and electronic paid parking zones; councilmembers praised the cleanup but asked staff to address access for residents without smartphones and potential impacts on nearby small businesses. Staff said payment can also be made by text or phone number.
The Mount Rainier mayor and council discussed Ordinance 05-2026 on June 9, a proposed amendment to Chapter 9 of the city code that would eliminate coin meters and create paid parking zones with electronic payment (QR code, texting, or phone payment).
City attorney Lisa Duquay summarized the ordinance—s key points: it replaces meter zones with paid parking zones, establishes electronic collection methods and zone times, and adds violation and penalty provisions. Council members thanked staff for the revision but raised practical concerns: some elderly residents lack smartphones, and some small businesses requested short free-parking windows (for example, 15 minutes) to accommodate customers.
Staff said the payment system supports multiple payment modalities (QR code, texting, phone number) and an app, but acknowledged that any special exemptions (grace periods, specific free spaces) would need to be written into the ordinance or be handled by subsequent council resolution. Council members suggested the city could temporarily waive enforcement for holiday periods by resolution rather than building broad, flexible language into the ordinance itself. The city manager and attorney agreed to circulate redlines and grammatical edits ahead of a September meeting for a final review.
What was not decided: the council did not adopt the ordinance at this meeting. Members asked staff for a final redline and for a schedule that allows additional edits to be submitted roughly a week before the next session.
