In response to your June 20 editorial (“What does free parking have to do with the Revolution?”), I would like to provide Globe readers with an explanation for why it was free to park at meters in the city of Boston Monday when Bunker Hill Day was observed in Suffolk County.
As part of the fiscal 2011 state budget process, an amendment was passed ordering that “all state and municipal agencies, authorities, quasipublic entities, or other offices located in Suffolk County shall be open for business and appropriately staffed” on both Evacuation Day and Bunker Hill Day. However, the amendment continues to mandate that these two days are “legal holidays” in Suffolk County.
As parking at meters is free in Boston on Sundays and legal holidays, the city did not have the option of charging for parking at meters on Bunker Hill Day. In accordance with current law, we cannot charge for metered parking on Evacuation Day or Bunker Hill Day, even though these days may not be as widely observed as other legal holidays.
Please note that our parking enforcement officers were working, and all other parking regulations in Boston were in effect and enforced on Bunker Hill Day.