WSU parking fines to increase

By Amy Geiszler-Jones

Parking fines will increase Sept. 1 in an effort to get more compliance for WSU’s parking regulations.

The updated fines range from $5 for improperly displaying parking permits and late fees to $300 for counterfeit permits.

Fines more than doubled for parking in reserved spaces and for unauthorized persons parking in a faculty lot.

"Any time you put a fine to a violation, you’re trying to get voluntary compliance," said WSU Police Chief Chuck Rummery. "My feeling is that if you don’t have a substantial fine you don’t get voluntary compliance."

The increase in fines is not related to the new parking plan. Faculty and staff now pay for parking permits based on salaries, while students pay based on credit hours. Only students, through student fees, previously paid for parking.

The Police Department originally suggested upping the fine for fake permits from $20 to $150, but during a public hearing in July, members from the WSU community suggested making the fine more steep.

Faculty and staff can continue to make recommendations on the new traffic regulations and on the administrative policies. Submit recommendations in writing to Rummery, box 3, by Jan. 15. The traffic policy advisory committee will consider the recommendations.