NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WKRN) — Parking in some parts of Music City is going to work a little different after the Metro Council voted to introduce a smart parking system in downtown Nashville.

The Council granted final approval for a contract with Laz Parking to operate and maintain the smart system.

New meters will be installed allowing people to pay by credit card, QR code, phone app, or cash.

Council members noted these meters would make parking more accessible with less people carrying coins.

This isn’t the first time the Metro Council has tried to pass something like this. Last year a similar bill was up for approval — with the hopes of making parking easier and quicker.

Nashville mayor John Cooper released a statement following Metro Council’s 27-4 vote to adopt Metro’s new smart parking plan, which reads:

“The current parking meter system is outdated and, according to previous studies, operating at only 10% efficiency. Our new parking program will modernize meters and vastly improve the user’s experience – allowing payment by credit card, cell phone app and QR code, alerting users to expiration times, and allowing extensions remotely by app. It will combine multiple parking meters into single kiosks – improving our streetscapes. I’m grateful to NDOT Director Diana Alarcon and her team for designing a program that achieves these objectives without giving up control of our meters or parking spaces, and that will support our business community that relies on public parking for their customers. I’m also grateful to Council Member Angie Henderson for her leadership on this important issue for Nashville. These new efficiencies represent a major step forward toward improving aging city infrastructure – a core goal of my Administration — and will generate significant revenues that will be re-invested into our parking operations and maintenance moving forward.”

Mayor John Cooper

The Metro Council overwhelmingly voted to approve the measure, with only four members voting against the contract.