As I mentioned in an previous post, I stopped by the library.

The city parking system is a pay at the machine then stick the slip of paper to the window.

While it is risky, one option is to use a receipt from previous parking and hope that the parking police just do a visual drive-by rather than specifically checking the meter or individual tickets.

Another possibility I noticed is for overnight parking.
There is an option to leave your vehicle in the lot overnight (Don’t drink and drive!), in this option you have to pay for the time previous to closing and then, apparently, you can park fee-free until opening hours the next morning.
Since there is a 3 hour limit on the machine I imagine timing would be a factor here.

Technically, you should be able to park at any of the street parking free during the non-fee hours. I haven’t checked the machines on the street yet to see if this overnight parking sticker is just a library feature or city-wide.
Even if city-wide, it might be worth paying a nickel to start the timer for a hassle free nights sleep. And if a person had a few dollars they could pre-pay for a few hours into the next morning.