Sycamore vintage parking meters here to stay if penny goes away

SYCAMORE – A decision by President Donald Trump’s administration to stop the minting of new pennies won’t force Sycamore to move on from the Duncan parking meters used for downtown street parking.

Street parking in downtown Sycamore requires something tolls on Illinois interstates no longer require: change. The city’s dated parking meters don’t take all coins, however. Instead they only accept coins worth less than 25 cents.

Trump’s decision means a third of the coins that can be used for Sycamore street parking will no longer be minted.

Sycamore City Manager Michael Hall said that even if pennies completely fall out of circulation, the city’s parking meters still will be maintained and required for downtown use.

“Sycamore’s parking meters accept nickels and dimes in addition to pennies, rendering the decision to discontinue minting new pennies inconsequential for our meters,” Hall wrote in an email to Shaw Local News Network.

On Feb. 9, President Trump announced his administration had ordered the end of penny production, which currently costs 3.69 cents per penny, according to the U.S. Mint.

Pennies are the most popular coin made by the U.S. Mint, which reported making 3.2 billion of them last year, The Associated Press reported. That’s more than half of all the new coins it made in 2024.

While the cessation of penny production could reduce the costs the federal government spends making the coin, the return on investment isn’t the point of the parking meters that still accept them.

At least not in Sycamore, Hall wrote.

“The primary objective of these meters is not to generate revenue but rather to stimulate turnover and guarantee the availability of parking spaces for both visitors and businesses within the downtown area,” Hall wrote.

Motorists who park in spots with Sycamore city meters are required to use them daily from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., excluding federal holidays and Sundays. The meters have a two-hour time limit.

A dime gets you the full two hours, a nickel half that, and a penny gets 12 minutes.

Those who violate the city’s parking meters by staying in a space too long or not paying when required are fined $1, according to the city’s website. Subsequent meter violations incur $5 fines. Late penalties range from $25 to $75.

The city even has a form inviting people to report issues on its vintage parking meters.

In 2024, Sycamore collected $11,286 in revenue from parking meter coins, and $13,799 from parking fines.

At more than $25,000, the revenue Sycamore receives through its parking meters is fewer than 0.1% of the city’s $26.6 million fiscal 2025 budget.

While Hall said he doesn’t anticipate any issues for the parking meters from a change in federal policy, he said city officials will be paying attention.

“We will diligently monitor any potential repercussions and make necessary adjustments to maintain the effectiveness of our system for the benefit of the community,” Hall said.