Who needs parking meters anyway? That's just one of the questions fostered by a recent announcement from Tamaqua Police Chief Rick Weaver.

Last week, the chief said his department will no longer void, or excuse, parking tickets given when a meter is jammed. His decision becomes effective as of March 1.The move, according to the chief, "has become necessary due to the large number of meters being purposely jammed by motorists who want to get out of paying meter fees."His decision has created a firestorm of comments on social media and at public gathering places.According to Weaver, the number of damaged meters increased substantially after Tamaqua Borough Council increased parking costs to 25 cents per 15-minute interval in 2014. The new meters only take quarters, but some people still use nickels and dimes, which won't register time and eventually jam the mechanism.Twigs and gumJohn "Bud" Comisac, the borough employee who oversees the meters, says it's not just the nickels and dimes. In recent months, he's found "glass, twigs, leaves, gum, bent coins and tarred coins" inside the meters."It's become a full-time job cleaning and repairing the meters, as well as costly to replace parts," Comisac said. "All so someone can get free parking because they know their tickets will be voided."In the past, the borough employed a person solely for meter duties.The meter maids were responsible for checking the meters at least once a day, as well as issuing tickets, collecting fines and the assorted paperwork as required.Police have taken over monitoring the meters between their other duties. As a courtesy, the department voided a ticket if the meter was found to be jammed or not working properly.Excusing a ticket is solely the discretion of the department, as the borough's ordinance governing meters has no such provision.First passed on March 2, 1942, the meter ordinance sets the time frame of 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., lists the fines to be imposed and provides free parking on Sundays and holidays.The ordinance has been amended several times to increase the amount of the fines or fees, such as going from penny meters to nickel and dime and now to quarters, adding the borough owned parking lots and providing monthly parking permits for side street meters. Last amended in 2014, the ordinance increased the fine from $5 to $10.The reason for the meters is to provide merchants with ample parking spaces for their customers. Before the advent of the horseless carriage, there was no need for such restrictions, but downtown Tamaqua is a mix of business and residential spaces. As residents began acquiring two, three or more vehicles per household, it became harder for customers to find a space to park.Business owners wanted the meters for their customers' use. Currently, council's parking and traffic committee is considering providing one side street meter permit to each business owner, a suggestion made by Weaver and Mayor Chris Morrison."This would provide a space for an employee, while not taking away from the goal of providing customer parking," Weaver said.The borough replaced 100 meters in 2014 at a cost of approximately $15,000. In 2015, officers collected a total of $55,728.58 from the meters. That money was deposited directly into the general fund, which allowed it to be used for a variety of purposes, which included the cost of repairs and replacement meters, as well as toward salaries.Without metersIf the borough were to do away with the meters, parking in the business district would become the same free-for-all as in other parts of the borough.Many single-family homes have been converted to multifamily apartment buildings, increasing the number of vehicles needing parking spaces even further. Apartment complexes such as the ABC Tamaqua High Rise and Majestic House mean even more motorists looking for places to park. Lack of parking is a problem found throughout the borough, as in every other community.While some people believe they should be able to park in front of their own homes, or businesses, it is not the borough's responsibility to provide such a service."Eliminating the meters would still cause headaches for the downtown businesses," suggests Tamaqua Borough Manager Kevin Steigerwalt."Customers would be competing with employees and residents even more than they do now."Steigerwalt said the borough did look into purchasing parking kiosks, such as those found in New York City, but the cost proved to be "astronomical." There are currently 256 parking meters in Tamaqua.Weaver's decisionChief Weaver explained his decision as simply "stronger enforcement of the ordinance. With the increase in number of jammed meters, and the materials found inside, it's clear that people are deliberately jamming the meters to get out of paying meter fees. I guess we've been too lenient in the past. By making them pay the fine, hopefully they will stop destroying borough property. We needed something that would get their attention."If the chief wanted to attract attention, he succeeded. Many of the people talking about the issue have indicated they will be attending the next meeting of Tamaqua Borough Council, which is currently scheduled for 7 p.m. Tuesday.