RICHLAND, Wash. — The Washington State University Board of Regents will consider approving increases in Pullman campus parking fees and fines at a 9:30 a.m. meeting March 15, in the Consolidated Information Center, Room 120A, on the WSU Tri-Cities campus.
The Office of Business Affairs proposed increases for annual and daily parking permits after a 15-member Parking System Review Task Force gathered feedback from the campus community. Smaller increases were proposed for parking zones used primarily by students and where demand is less, larger increases for high-demand parking zones and those used primarily by faculty and staff. No increases were proposed for parking meter or hourly garage rates.
If approved, most parking fines would increase by $5 – $25, depending on the infraction. Parking illegally in a disability space would increase from $50 to $250, which coincides with the state standard.
The increases are needed to help cover the cost of new parking facilities and improvements and repairs to existing garages and parking lots. WSU employees will be able to mitigate some of the increases by opting to pay for their permit with pre-tax dollars through payroll deduction, which would save federal tax withholding, social security and Medicare expenses. If approved, the increases would take effect July 1.
The board also will consider changing how students who take summer credits are charged for using the Student Recreation Center on the Pullman campus. Last summer students were charged a sliding fee based on the number of credits taken. In effect, students taking fewer credits were paying less, but had the same access to the center as those who paid more.
The proposed system is a pro-rated fee linked to the number of weeks the student is enrolled. Students enrolled three weeks or less would pay $20, four to five weeks $40 and six weeks or more $60. If approved, the new summer fees would take effect Summer Session 2002.
Also under consideration is a proposal to increase fees at the center by 15 percent or the percentage of undergraduate tuition increases, whichever is less. Without an increase, the center would have to reduce the hours that it is open or the level of service. If approved, the increase would take effect fall 2002.
