Campus parking permits will see a significant price increase for the 2006-2007 school year.

Overall, permit costs will rise by 9 percent, with more increases anticipated for the following two years.

Individual permit prices are set to rise anywhere from 5 percent to 25 percent each. By the fall, student permit types such as CS, DCS and DDS will be sold at $277, while DE and DW permits will be offered for $265.

The hikes come on the heels of a recent court ruling that will mandate the University to hand over most of the past revenues obtained from parking violations to local K-12 systems.

“We are really trying to do our best to hold the permit costs down for everyone,” Greg Cain, assistant director of parking, said.

According to Cain, Transportation worked with the Physical Environment Committee, a body comprised of faculty, staff and students, to arrive at the price distribution for the permits.

The department also visited with Staff Senate, which encouraged the University to help offset costs and not shift the entire burden onto the students and employees.

“Our goal was to keep [the overall increase] under 10 percent if at all possible,” Cain said.

However, University officials have yet to receive any concrete information on the exact penalty amount, although the cost is expected to be in the millions.

According to Tom Kendig, director of Transportation, the courts have yet to offer a tangible interpretation of the phrase “clear proceeds,” the term used in the North Carolina constitution to dictate the amount of parking violation revenues that should be turned over to K-12 education.

“We are still as unclear today as we were in October,” Kendig said.Cain said that while the nine percent increase for next year is the amount the department will need to maintain operations, the projected increases for following years represent a “worst case scenario.”

These projections would bring the price of most student permits to $316 by the 2008-2009 school year, a $70-80 increase over a span of three years.

Val-Park parking lot, which adjoins Dan Allen Parking Deck and University Towers and currently provides parking to more than 800 students, may see increased business in response to the on-campus price changes, said manager Gail Fulp.

“I hope this will increase our sales slightly,” Fulp said.

However, she also noted that University parking will still be less expensive than the private lot.

According to Fulp, most students use the lot for the convenience of having a secure parking space rather than searching for spots in campus parking areas.

Still, Fulp believes that the price increases may make students strongly consider the value they are getting from private lots as opposed to the University permits.

“I would probably start parking in Dan Allen,” Jim Chilton, faculty lab supervisor for the physics department, said in response to the proposed increases. He currently holds a B parking permit.

Chilton said that the hike will be easier to bear for faculty members who have the option of paying for parking in monthly increments. Since his parking fees are deducted from each pay check, Chilton said the $33 increase will be spread out over the course of an entire year.

“It’s like a cheeseburger,” Chilton said. “It doesn’t worry me, but it keeps going up at this rate, it’s a steak instead of a cheeseburger.”

Frankye Artis, director of Transitions, said it is unfortunate that permit costs are rising, but it is a cost most employees will simply be forced to bear.

“It’s just like my other utilities: even if it goes up, I still have to pay,” Artis said. She noted that parking fees have risen in the past, but rarely has she seen anyone resort to parking off-campus.

Others believe that the University should have found other ways to deal with the impending budget shortfall.

“I don’t think it’s fair to pay for something that’s [the University’s] mistake,” Patrick Moore, a senior in mechanical engineering, said. “It shouldn’t have happened in the first place.”

However, some agreed with the way the University is handling the situation.

“It’s in the best interest of the student body — I’d rather my parking sticker go up instead of my tuition,” Sudip Dotta, a junior in political science, said.