CITY COUNCIL COMMITTEE REJECTS CONGRESS STREET METERED PARKING PLAN
City Council committee votes 4-0 to reject Congress Street metered parking plan. The Committee on Ordinances, Licenses and Legal Affairs voted unanimously against introducing paid parking on Congress Street, citing impact on Pickering Wharf employees who rely on free street parking. Councillor
City Council · Meeting of April 8, 2026
SALEM — City Council committee votes 4-0 to reject Congress Street metered parking plan. The Committee on Ordinances, Licenses and Legal Affairs voted unanimously against introducing paid parking on Congress Street, citing impact on Pickering Wharf employees who rely on free street parking. Councillor Andrew Smith argued that adding parking charges on top of already steep garage rates would burden downtown workers; he proposed charging tour bus operators for parking instead.
The city is developing a tour bus parking permit proposal. Separately, the committee voted 4-0 to recommend increasing parking violation fines from $75 to $100 during October tourist season; the city issued 135 such tickets in October and 3,492 total last year.
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Source: the City Council meeting of April 8, 2026, compiled from the official minutes.
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