An ordinance implementing timed parking for a fee within a designated area of the Central Business District in downtown Amarillo will tentatively begin in January. Amarillo City Council unanimously approved the ordinance on second reading Tuesday.

Here are a few facts regarding the ordinance:

· Plans are for paid parking to begin in January, with a period of time for users to become familiar with the system. Warnings and educational materials will be provided, as well as assistance for creating your account for first-time use.

· Paid parking will be enforced Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. The required fee for parking will be $1 per hour. The paid parking boundary will be from S.E. Third Ave. to the north; S. Johnson Street to the east; S.E. 10^th to the south and S. Taylor to the west (between Fourth Ave. and Ninth Ave.)

· Initially, the designated area will allow parking for a maximum of three hours before motorists will need to move their vehicles to a new parking zone.

· The ordinance includes exemptions for certain state license plates/placards, such as handicap/disabled; disabled veterans; military medals, etc., per state law. Paid parking will not be enforced on city holidays.

· Paid parking will be done through a pay-by-phone system provider. The ParkMobile system is cloud-based. Customers sign up for an account online, by phone or through the mobile smartphone app. Payment is completed via calling or smartphone app, credit card, linked bank account or other providers such as PayPal. Customers who are unbanked are able to use pre-paid credit cards. ParkMobile has partnerships with 39 of the top 100 cities in the U.S., with over 240,000 registered users in Texas. Fort Worth, Houston, Austin, Dallas and New Braunfels all use the system.

For more information contact City of Amarillo Communications Manager Dave Henry at (806) 378-5219 or by email at David.Henry@amarillo.gov.