Increased parking rates proposed as part of State College borough’s 2025 draft budget
Increased parking rates at meters and garages could be coming to the State College borough next year.
The council has been discussing the proposed 2025 budget, including the fee schedule that determines parking rates, throughout several meetings in the past month or so. Changes to parking rates are included for both metered parking and garage parking, as well as garage parking permits. If approved by the borough council, it would be the first parking rate increase the borough has implemented since 2014.
“These fees are basically to cover our … increased costs and parking operations,” Tom Brown, State College’s parking director, said during the Dec. 2 council meeting.
He later added that although the increased revenue can cover additional parking staff, it will also cover the large amount of fees the borough has to pay.
“A lot more people are using credit cards for payments and we’re paying a lot of money in credit card fees that we never had to in the past,” Brown said.
For on-street meters and lots, the new proposed rate is $1.50/hour, an increase of $0.25/hour.
Event rates will raise to $3/hour, a $0.75 increase, to both garage and meter parking.
Garage rates between 6 a.m. and 6 p.m. are not proposed to change and will remain at $1/hour. But rates from 6 p.m. to 6 a.m. will increase by $0.75/hour to $1/hour, if approved.
Proposed increases for parking garage permits are as follows:
Beaver garage: $115 and $90 (a $5 increase)
Fraser garage: $130 and $90 (a $15 and $5 increase, respectively)
Pugh garage: $130 and $100 (increase from $115 on the 24-hour permits)
McAllister middle level and roof permits will increase $15 each, to $115 and $100, respectively.
The Barnard Street lot permits are proposed to increase by $10 to $85/month. Commuter parking permits rates are proposed for $50/month, a $5/month increase.
A work session is scheduled for 7 p.m. Dec. 9 for the council to continue reviewing the budget. Council members will vote on adopting the budget on Dec. 16. The full proposed budget, fee schedule and budget presentations can be found online, www.statecollegepa.us/401/Budget-Information-Center.
