Inside Iowa State: Iowa State University

March 12, 2004

Parking fee hikes likely

by Karen Bolluyt
Parking permit fees for Iowa State employees will go up 3.9 percent to 16.9 percent in a proposal presented to the Board of Regents, State of Iowa, this week. The regents will vote on the proposed rates at their April meeting. The new rates take effect July 1.

As proposed, 24-hour reserve and reserve permits both would go up $25 next year (to $640 and $345, respectively), or 3.9 percent and 7.2 percent. General staff and departmental permits, currently $89 each, would go up $15 (16.9 percent) to $104. Vendor permits, $119 this year, would be raised to $134, a 12.6 percent increase.

A motorcycle permit is the least costly of the proposed rates, $35 per year, up $5 from last year.

Student permits all would increase $15 next year, with the exception of stadium and motorcycle permits, which would go up a proposed $5.

Some of the proposed increases were approved in 2002, when the regents accepted a recommendation for a series of three annual rate increases. This is the last in that series. The university did not propose increases in fines for parking violations this year.

There are approximately 18,000 parking spaces for visitors, faculty, staff and students on campus. In 2003, the university completed construction of a 400-stall parking deck east of central campus, an additional 200 spots. A year earlier, existing lots around Jack Trice stadium were reconstructed and 850 new stalls were added. Planning for a multi-level parking structure west of central campus will start this spring. All three projects are part of the long-range parking plan.

Last year, ISU parking systems also cooperated with the Carver Co-lab building project to construct a 120-car parking lot on the north side of campus. This helped replace approximately 140 spaces lost on the co-lab site.

Construction of the chiller plant north of central campus is temporarily reducing parking, but will not have a permanent impact on the number of parking slots.

The Transportation Advisory Council evaluated and approved the new rate proposals. The 23-member group is composed of faculty, staff and students.

Proposed ISU annual parking fees

Permit type	Current	Proposed increase	Proposed FYO5
24-hour reserve	$640	*$25	$665
Reserve	345	*25	370
Vendor	119	15	134
General staff	89	*15	104
Departmental	89	15	104
Commuter student	72	15	87
Res hall student	72	15	87
Stadium	52	5	57
Motorcycle (all)	30	5	35

* Third of three increases approved in March 2002.