Is it just us or has the whole Dearborn paid parking matter just gotten so confusing that it might be next to impossible to keep up on what to pay, when, what day and at what lot?

New $2 flat fee for some metered lots in Dearborn begins Sept. 21.

The newest tweak to Dearborn’s paid parking system becomes effective Monday, Sept. 21.

In metered Lot C and Lot H, patrons will have the option of a flat $2 parking fee daily after 6 p.m. These lots are located between Mason and Monroe on both sides of Michigan Avenue.

This change is the latest move by the Dearborn City Council to help bar owners in the area who have complained that they are losing some of their customers earlier than usual out of fear of getting a parking ticket for an expired meter.

A parking attendant will work collecting the fees, although we are not quite sure where this person will stand as the city removed and sold its parking booth on eBay months ago when the meters were installed at a cost of more than $200,000. Customers saying for a shorter period of time can still use the meters as they normally would.

In addition, council approved changing the hours of parking enforcement to 3 a.m. instead of the present 4 a.m.

The city’s paid parking system will continue to be operated by Park-Rite through June 2010. The city council approved a contract extension with Park-Rite that pays the company $4,200 monthly, plus 8 percent of parking revenues.

Kicking off the third annual summer series, The Courtyard at the Ritz-Carlton in Dearborn will be transformed into an outdoor summer garden party complete with food, beverages and free Motown musical entertainment comes to a close Sept. 17.

The outdoor party in the Courtyard will runs from 4:30 to 7:30 p.m. The Ritz-Carlton, Dearborn is located at Fairlane Plaza, 300 Town Center Drive. For more info, please call 313-441-2100.