Mount Pleasant doubles off-campus parking meters, now 50 cents per hour
Doubling the hourly price of parking meters across Mount Pleasant may generate extra revenue for the city.
Updating the city meters from 25- to 50-cents per hour took place over a period of two weeks to meet the Sept. 1 deadline, said Brian Kench, city building official.
By making the rates go up 25 cents, he added, they are now consistent with Central Michigan University campus parking.
“There two primary reasons for the increase,” said Finance Director Nancy Ridley. “To make (prices) consistent with what CMU was charging, but the other is to generate revenue because of some reductions from the state.”
The city expects to see a $15,000 increase in revenue from the program, Kench said. It will go back into the program and into the general fund.
The change was too recent see how close to that estimate they will be, he said.
Ticketing has not increased at the meters within the city, Kench said. He expects that most people who are looking for parking will seek out parking in close proximity to CMU.
“Given the limited parking on campus, individuals will still have to rely on city parking,” Kench said.
Mount Morris senior Amanda Babcock said she has not noticed the increase in meter prices throughout Mount Pleasant, but she is not surprised.
She said it is one more thing students have to deal with when it comes to the financial aspects of college. Just when students think they have found a little bit of a break, in this case 25 cents each time they parked in off campus meters, she said, the increase ends up being one more thing on top of everything else students have to pay for.
“I usually park in those meters when I go to places not on campus,” Babcock said. “I assumed it was only a matter of time before they would be increased to match the campus price.”
Since the prices now match what the campus is charging, she said she will continue to look for and wait for parking on campus rather than parking off campus.
“Why wouldn’t students want a better or closer parking spot if the prices are the same,” Babcock said.
When it comes to raising the prices, Babcock said she is not sure she agrees with theory to generate revenue because it is mostly students who park there and not actual members of the community.
She said that students are being taken advantage of by the city since there is nowhere else to park.
“Students are going to park there if they need to no matter what the cost is. They are using us (students) to make up for their budget cuts,” she said.
