Several changes involving parking on campus will take effect when school starts Monday, Nancy Wray, Parking Services office manager, said.
Enforcement hours for the red section of the Emens Auditorium parking garage will affect students who park there during the week. Starting Monday, a permit will be required between the hours of 3:30 a.m. and 7 p.m. Monday through Friday, according to an e-mail.
The changes won't affect any other parking garages on campus, Wray said.
"We've had some folks who wanted to park in there for extended hours," she said. "The library is open extended hours, and I think it was just put together from feedback from
different folks that wanted to see increased enforcement there."
Another change concerns fines charged for various parking violations on campus. All of the fines for parking violations have increased by $5, Wray said.
"Beginning the first day of Fall classes, all the fines are increased by $5," she said. "We don't have the Web site updated yet, but we hope to soon."
These aren't the only changes that have taken place this summer. In late June and early July, prices at parking meters across campus were increased without an all-student announcement from Parking Services. Officials said the increase was to make the meters more consistent with parking garage costs.
Prices for meters are $1 for 45 minutes, 75 cents for 36 minutes, 50 cents for 24 minutes and 25 cents for 12 minutes. Before the increase, 45 minutes on the meter cost 50 cents, 25 cents paid for 22 1/2 minutes on the meter, 10 cents paid for nine minutes and 5 cents paid for 4 1/2 minutes.
At the garages on campus, prices for parking are $1 for the first three hours of parking, 50 cents an hour for the next three hours, and 25 cents an hour up to a maximum of $5 a day, Wray said. The difference in prices at the meters and in the garages is because each serves a different purpose, Wray said.
"The reason that your single meters are only 45 minutes instead of the hour is because those are located in places where we want to have turnover," she said. "If we extend it any longer students will park there and go to class, but the intention is for you to run in and maybe do an errand."
Parking services was not solely responsible for the decision to increase meter and fine costs. The changes were administrative decisions that were handed down to Parking Services, Wray said.
Randy Howard, associate vice president of Finance and assistant treasurer, said the decision to increase rates and fines came after much deliberation.
"We spent quite a bit of time with Parking Services, Public Safety and Facilities folks talking about all things parking," he said.
During the talks with various departments on campus, multiple aspects went into the decision to pass the increases.
"We looked at many factors, we looked at when the last time we raised parking or citation rates," Howard said. "Although inflation will go up every year, we said lets have one increase every four or five years."
Howard agreed with Wray in that meters and parking garages serve different purposes, but in the end the decision to increase rates and fines came down to the budget, he said.
"The bottom line was that we needed the revenue," Howard said. "Parking is self-supporting - it has to pay salaries, maintain facilities, pay for repairs on garages, pay to build garages. Last year, we spent $600,000 on maintaining parking lots and garages alone."
Howard said the increases were structured so that, hopefully, the rates would not be increased on a yearly basis.
"I don't want to raise parking meter costs every year and I don't want to raise citation fines every year if we can avoid it," he said. "It costs money to make the change, to change all the meters. I'd rather do it one time then wait five years for the next one."
Whether or not the rates will be increased on a yearly basis, Howard said he is always looking at different ways to fund areas such as Parking Services.
"One thing we're looking at is if there are other ways of making money," he said. "With credit cards in the garage, we might be able to sell advertising on the receipts. We're trying to think of alternative ways to save the students money."
Read More
Three Air Jam teams take home the win
October 12, 2012Nineteen teams shimmied, shook and flipped for a sold out John R. Emens Auditorium on Thursday night during the 25th annual Air Jam.
Bill Clinton Speaks at North Central High School
October 12, 2012Former President's Speech Could Have Effect on State Senate Race
