The Barometer Online

The cost for a parking permit at OSU will increase by 20 percent across the board beginning next fall, according to new recommendations from the university parking committee.

Students, who currently pay $120 for the annual permit, will be charged $144 under the increase. Faculty and staff permits will go from $165 to $198, reserved spaces will go from $330 to $400 and emeritus permits will go from $80 to $96.

The increases come as Transit and Parking Services works to reconcile its budget. Members of the committee appeared to agree that an increase is needed for Transit and Parking Services to operate.

The increase helps to cover expenses for a manager position that has been vacant for six months, said Roxanne Long, associate director and controller for Facilities Services.

Long noted that because Transit and Parking Services is an auxiliary enterprise, it does not receive any funding outside of its own revenue, which comes from violations and permit sales. She said uncontrollable costs, such as state-mandated pay raises, play into the need to increase permit costs.

She added that a plan to make improvements to bicycle transportation on campus will be able to secure funding thanks to the increase.

"It's costs that are coming through that need to be passed on in order to continue operating the business," Long said.

In addition to covering payroll expenses and other initiatives, the increase helps add money to a reserve fund set aside in case of emergencies. One committee member said it would be difficult to handle a major ice storm without enough money on reserve.

Long said the current increase should be enough to last for about two years. Members of the committee have begun discussing a tiered-parking plan, which would create different parking zones on campus for different prices.

Under that plan, anyone could buy access to spaces near buildings if they are willing to pay the price.

Parking committee members planned to spread the news about the increase to the student and faculty senates in the coming days and weeks.

Casey Schaufler, a student member of the committee, said he expected some opposition to the increase in the student senates.

"If you go to the student senate with any increase, you're going to be told, 'there's the door,'" he told the committee.

Some members of the committee expressed support for a separate increase for reserved spaces, with one motion - which was later withdrawn - setting the price at nearly $1,000. The committee said it would revisit the issue next month.

Long said increases are the only way to make the budget work out.

"Parking Services has always operated extremely slim with no additional perks," she said. "We are already operated pretty minimally right now."

Dan Traylor, managing editor

managing@dailybarometer.com, 737-2231

Article Tools