Tuition and textbook prices

are going up, so it only seems

fitting that the price of parking

may also about to go up in the

near future.

EC Police Chief Mike Trevis

proposed an increase in price to

the daily parking permits and

parking violation tickets on Feb.

14 to the Associated Students

Organization Senate (ASO).

“They (parking prices)

haven’t really kept pace with the

price of inflation or similarly

the cost of doing business,” Dillan

Horton, vice president of the

ASO, said.

The proposition would increase

the price of daily parking

permits from $2 to $3 and the

price of parking tickets from $38

to $43.

Prices for parking and parking

citations were originally set

over 15 years ago, but EC has

not kept up with inflation since.

“The parking fines and tickets

go to public safety, keeping up

with the police polls and maintenance

of different safety features

across campus,” Horton said.

The majority of the revenue

that comes from parking permits

and citations goes toward public

safety as well as the refurbishment

of parking lots and signs.

“In an effort to get new revenue,

the state enacted a law

which they get a percentage of

all the parking fines for any local

agency. That can be any sheriff’s

office, any police office, and of

course campus police,” Horton

said.

In the past two years, the state

of California passed a Senate bill

which states that any agency that

issues parking tickets must give

the state $9.50 of the total ticket

price, Horton added.

That amount required by the

state is significant and could be

a factor in why fees are added.

Parking tickets at EC are $38,

however the school only receives

$28.50 for each ticket issued,

Horton said.

“That’s created additional

cost on to the normal amount

that they would take in,” he said.

As for the parking permits,

Trevis said that there were

225,000 daily permits sold last

year, totaling $450,000 and that

adding a dollar to this price

would significantly raise more

revenue.

Cost of maintenance for permit

machines is very expensive

and the extra dollar would benefit

the upkeep for the parking

lots greatly, he said.

EC is also hoping this will

encourage students to purchase

the semester parking permits in

order to save money, Trevis said.

The bulk of those who purchase

daily permits are those

who come to attend concerts,

sporting events or handle a single

transaction, not everyday

students, Trevis added.

Trevis must now take his proposal

to more bodies before going

before the board again and is

hoping this change will take effect

in the fall of 2013.

“From his (Trevis) explanation

these prices are