ALLENTOWN, Pa. — Allentown Parking Authority will start offering payment plans next month, just about fulfilling its pledge to city officials last year.
Council in June 2024 increased fines for more than two dozen parking violations after agency officials assured them they would implement payment plans and conduct a parking-meter study.
Santo Napoli, a councilman who also sits on the APA board, last summer said the authority had a year to take action on those initiatives.
“It’s exciting to finally get this to launch."Santo Napoli, city councilman and APA board member
“It’s exciting to finally get this to launch,” Napoli told LehighValleyNews.com. “This program increases payment flexibility options and adds to the customer service improvements APA has been making.”
Napoli credited former APA board member Yamilette Gomez as “instrumental” in pushing for payment plans, which are slated to become an option Aug. 4.
The registered owner of a vehicle can establish a payment plan within 10 days of getting a ticket by visiting Allentown Parking Authority’s headquarters at 603 W. Linden St.
They must “accept responsibility for the violation” and make an immediate down payment of at least 20%; the remaining balance of the ticket will be equally spread across five weekly payments, according to the authority.
Ticket prices will not climb during that payment period.
Until the launch of the APA program, payment plans are only available after unpaid tickets are transferred to district courts.
'APA made the investment'
Parking authority officials in a news release said the payment-plan program “reflects a thoughtful, unified approach to improving both public service and financial accessibility.”
Projections showed it could cost the APA up to $50,000 to upgrade its technology for the payment plans.
The upgrade manages Allentown parking violations while coordinating with magisterial and county courts, Napoli said, confirming the Allentown agency spent close to the projected cost.
That technology “didn’t exist” outside of the Philadelphia Parking Authority until the “APA made the financial investment” to bring it to Allentown, Napoli said.
The Allentown Parking Authority office is open from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Monday, Wednesday and Thursday; from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. Tuesday; and from 7 a.m. to 4 p.m. Friday.
