The City of Ypsilanti announced on Thursday that it would be suspending all parking meter payments in the city due to the national coin shortage.
All metered parking in the city will be free, but the posted time limits will still be enforced, according to a statement released by the City.
Parking on W Cross St. for example, has a posted limit of two hours during the day between 8 a.m. - 6 p.m. There is no limit after 6 p.m., or on the weekends, which is the case for many public parking spaces in Ypsilanti. These time limits will be "strictly enforced" by the city, even as parking is temporarily free.
“We’ve heard from both visitors and businesses that people just don’t have, and can’t get, coins for meters. This is out of their control or our control. There simply aren’t enough coins in circulation, nationwide, for all the needs,” said Frances McMullan, City Manager in the statement.
The U.S. is currently experiencing a national coin shortage due to the coronavirus pandemic and resulting economic shutdowns, according to the Federal Reserve.
"The COVID‐19 pandemic has significantly disrupted the supply chain and normal circulation patterns for U.S. coin," a statement by the Federal Reserve said. "In the past few months, coin deposits from depository institutions to the Federal Reserve have declined significantly and the U.S. Mint’s production of coin also decreased due to measures put in place to protect its employees.”
