Did Portland councilors decide to keep Sunday parking free? | Fact brief

Yes.  Portland city councilors recently rejected a budget proposal to add parking meter enforcement on Sundays. The elimination of free Sunday parking [was proposed](https://www.pressherald.com/2026/05/11/portland-plans-to-expand-metered-parking-add-sundays/) in City Manager Danielle West’s [recommended budget](https://content.civicplus.com/api/assets/me-portland/595067a8-b510-498e-9da1-49cabe483e7c?cache=1800) for fiscal year 2027, [which starts July 1](https://www.portlandmaine.gov/227/Assessors-Notice). The proposal sought to raise revenue by [extending meter enforcement](https://www.portlandmaine.gov/?contentId=3626f88f-46be-459d-958e-4073d3f31f5a&date=4-26-2024&date=7-29-2024&pid=&viewAll=84afc2b9-9106-4430-b55d-5099e2683659) by one hour Monday through Saturday and adding Sunday enforcement from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. At a June 1 meeting, the council removed the proposed Sunday meter enforcement [via an amendment](https://www.portlandmaine.gov/1648/News-Story?contentId=82efb643-20ad-49cb-a76a-a509ab686b93&seeMoreWidgetId=7369bda7-9d60-47ca-98ee-797c3e659f59) from Councilor April Fournier that was further amended by Councilor Pious Ali. (An alternate proposal from Councilor Ben Grant was not presented.) Related [Portland City Council approves next year’s $364M budget](https://www.pressherald.com/2026/06/01/portland-city-council-approves-next-years-364m-budget/) Instead of adding Sunday enforcement, the [council chose](https://www.pressherald.com/2026/06/01/portland-city-council-approves-next-years-364m-budget/) to raise rates by 50 cents to $2.50 per hour in most areas and $3 in the Old Port while extending Monday-through-Saturday enforcement by one hour to 7 p.m. Sundays and major holidays remain free. _This fact brief is responsive to conversations such as [this one](https://www.reddit.com/r/portlandme/comments/1tuzwfw/portland_street_parking_rates_to_increase/)._ _The Maine Trust for Local News partners with [Gigafact](https://gigafact.org/) to produce fact briefs — bite-sized fact checks of trending claims. Read our [methodology](https://gigafact.org/guidelines-principles-and-methodologies/) to learn how we check claims._ Sources * City of Portland: [City Manager’s Recommended Budget](https://content.civicplus.com/api/assets/me-portland/595067a8-b510-498e-9da1-49cabe483e7c?cache=1800) * City of Portland: [Assessor's Notice](https://www.portlandmaine.gov/227/Assessors-Notice) * City of Portland: [Finance Committee Continues Review of City Manager’s Recommended FY27 Budget](https://www.portlandmaine.gov/?contentId=3626f88f-46be-459d-958e-4073d3f31f5a&date=4-26-2024&date=7-29-2024&pid=&viewAll=84afc2b9-9106-4430-b55d-5099e2683659) * City of Portland: [June 1, 2026 Portland City Council Meeting Recap](https://www.portlandmaine.gov/1648/News-Story?contentId=82efb643-20ad-49cb-a76a-a509ab686b93&seeMoreWidgetId=7369bda7-9d60-47ca-98ee-797c3e659f59) Copy the Story Link Tagged: [parking](https://www.pressherald.com/tag/parking/), [Portland City Council](https://www.pressherald.com/tag/portland-city-council/)