SANDRA CHALMERS
EDITOR-IN-CHIEF

They say time heals all wounds, but that doesn’t typically work with parking tickets, except for on March 8 and 9.

Parking and Commuter Services offer to waive the $25 late fee to anyone with unpaid parking citations.  The Late Fee Waiver program allows for students and community members to save big money by offering this fee forgiveness for a limited time.

“Any tickets that go unpaid after 21 days of issue will inquire a $25 late fee, but within this two-day time frame, we eliminate that fee,” said Debbie Frasca, Adjudication for Parking and Commuter Services on campus.

The Late Fee Waiver program is only offered once a year and the full citation must be paid in order to receive the waiver.  Students can visit the Parking and Commuter Services building, FCB5-107 during business hours of 8 a.m. – 5 p.m. on March 8 and 9 to pay parking citations without the late fees.

“The average number of citations written last semester was 223 per month,” Frasca said. “We have a lot of tickets that have been overdue for years; we’re just trying to offer some savings.”

An average parking citation runs about $50; others, such as parking in front of a wheelchair curb can run as much as $421.  “We get a lot of people with common excuses as to why tickets should be appealed, ‘I left it in the center consol,’ or ‘It fell on the floor,” but what most students don’t know is that we take three photos of the vehicle to provide proof,” Frasca continued.

Frasca confirms that officers do not receive any form of commission per citation, nor do they have a required quota of citations to meet.

So where does all the money collected go?

Parking and Commuter Services is 100 percent self-sustained without state funding through the revenue produced from parking permit sales. This includes all costs of operation  such as maintenance, parking structures, benefit costs and other operating costs. Revenue from  citations does not support the construction of parking structures.

In Spring 2010, parking permit sales reached 4,952 for general, discounted Lot XYZ, carpool, motorcycle and credential permits, Fracas noted. Parking permits for the semester currently run at about $293 but will be raised to $338 for Fall 2011.

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