In the spirit of Christmas, the City of Warren is painting some parking meters green, others red, and offering the gift of free parking along city streets.

For now, the parking meters in the city are bagged in bright red – some with bows on top. The bags will remain through the first of the year.

The painted meters, while appropriate to the season, were not given color just for the holiday.

The meters were initially bagged in November after city council changed the proposed rate of $1 per hour to 50 cents. Reprogramming the meters should be completed within the next few days and the meters are expected to be reactivated starting Monday, Jan. 5, according to Department of Public Works Director Mike Holtz.

“Our meter company out of Arkansas is sending us a hand-held device,” Holtz said. “Every meter has a USB port and a plug.”

Holtz expected the delivery on Monday or Tuesday.

The equipment will allow city workers to change the rate in each of more than 200 meters.

Less high-tech equipment was used Monday to make other changes to some meters.

Jeremy Darr of the Department of Public Works painted 20 of the meters green and six more red.

All meters follow the same rate schedule but black meters carry a maximum of three hours, green are one-hour meters, and red meters will be placed in 30-minute spaces. Blue meters indicate handicapped-only parking spaces.

All city meters will be enforced from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday. A city council proposal to lengthen the enforcement day from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. did not pass.

Meters are also going up in an area previously proposed as permit parking only. The river side of the 400 block of Pennsylvania Avenue Westwill be metered. However, those interested in permit parking will still be able to reserve spaces. Meters at reserved permit spaces will be bagged with durable, permit-parking-only bags, Holtz said. “If you’re parked in a place that’s bagged and it’s not yours, you will be ticketed.”

The rate at Midtown Lot is $1 per hour, but the first 30 minutes are free.

Those who plan to be in and out in half an hour still “have to go to the kiosk,” Holtz said. “You have to sign up for the free parking.”

And those going to the kiosk – to pay or to sign up for a free 30 minutes – need to enter their license plate number.

Response to the parking changes has been mixed.

“I heard a lot of people were very happy that the city compromised (on the rate),” Holtz said. “I’ve heard some people say that they wished we would have waited” for a few months to see the impact the new rate had on downtown parking.