Free parking!

The city of Chico once again is showing shoppers a little holiday spirit by allowing them to park downtown at no charge on certain days leading up to Christmas.

During its regular meeting Tuesday, Nov. 4, the City Council authorized staff to move forward with its so-called “parking meter forgiveness program.” In short, it calls for free parking in metered stalls each Friday, starting on Nov. 28 and running through Dec. 19. On those days, those parked in stalls with expired meters will not be issued a citation so long as they do not exceed the time limit allotted for the space.

The program complements the Downtown Chico Business Association’s Hometown Holiday Hospitality Program, which is designed to attract shoppers into the city center. While there is a potential loss of $13,400 in meter revenues for those days, staff anticipates losing less money, since some patrons will still feed the machines.