KOKOMO, Ind. -- City leaders call it a sign of the times in Kokomo, where hundreds of unneeded signs and parking meters are being removed as part of a beautification push.

Mayor Greg Goodnight told 6News' Jennifer Carmack that he plans to eliminate metered parking across from the courthouse in an effort to unclutter downtown.

"A lot of times, (court) employees will park there in the morning, and one employee will go out and feed the meter for several cars every two hours," he said.

Area business owners support the plan.

"I think it's going to help our business, and our customers can get to us," said John Rosborough, who owns the nearby Sound Of Music shop.

Removing the meters is just one element of the citywide beautification project, which also includes removing hundreds of unneeded street signs.

Some 700 snow-route signs once lined 60 miles of Kokomo's streets, but city engineer Carey Stranahan said they "were easy picking" in deciding what to remove.

Meanwhile, two one-way streets will become two-way thoroughfares, while 11 stoplights will be replaced with four-way stop signs.

"That will save us $1,000 at each intersection per year just in electricity costs," Goodnight said.

The signs removed by city crews may be bartered to other cities that might need them.

Some of the changes, including the meters around the courthouse, will require a vote. The traffic commission will decide on the issues next week.