Minding the meters

In 1954, Wichita Falls, Texas, employed five women to monitor the city’s parking meters. The public relations employees, as they were then called, monitored more than 1,000 meters, issuing 6,000 tickets each month, according to a report in the August 1955 issue of The American City. Not only did the women keep watch over the meters, they were city ambassadors of sorts, greeting visitors and politely directing them throughout the downtown area. The employees even put extra coins in the meters for lucky out-of-towners whose time may have expired. The women, employed by the Traffic Engineering Division of the Department of Public Works, were between 26 and 32 years old, married, homeowners and had children. The women had to be residents for several years, and their husbands had to “hold substantial jobs in the community” with no military affiliation. The women earned $206 monthly.

Fifty years later, remnants of the city’s parking meter program still exist. Twenty five parking meters are located downtown, plus a few at the city’s airport, and all are monitored by police officers. For the past 15 years, business have been moving away from the downtown area, eliminating traffic and the need for strict parking meter enforcement. Because parking meters are no longer a substantial revenue source, the city does not keep official records of collected parking meter funds.