Ordinance will increase rate to$1 per hour on campus streets starting Nov. 1

Drivers in the Marquette community will have to scrape together more loose change to park their cars on city streets starting in November.

On Nov. 1, the street parking rate near campus will double from 50 cents per hour to $1. It’s the first meter rate increase on campus since 1992.

The increase is part of legislation passed by the Common Council this summer that aims to fill part of the city’s $90 million budget shortfall.

In addition to the Marquette area, meters around University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee will also increase from 50 cents to $1. Meter rates on Brady Street on the East Side and Mitchell Street on the South Side will increase from 25 to 50 cents per hour.

This year, the city increased meter fees downtown by 50 cents, bringing the hourly rate up to $1.50.

Reaction to the fee increase among members of the Marquette community is mixed, to say the least.

“I would say from a legal standpoint, it could violate the equal protection clause of the constitution because they’re targeting specific areas instead of doing a broad sweeping increase,” said Will McKinley, a student at Marquette Law School. “In general, I think the university is already brewing a lot of income for the city in terms of students living here, paying rent and supporting local businesses.”

Others think targeting high traffic areas outside downtown can be a more effective way to accumulate funding.

“I think it’s a legitimate way to increase revenue, especially with the way things are going budget-wise,” said Paul Crawford, also a student at the Law School.

The slow economy, some said, requires everyone to explore new revenue streams.

“I think it’s fair because the economy is worsening and you have to find creative ways to get money,” said Ekta Desai, a freshman in the College of Health Sciences. “Targeting the high traffic areas will get a bigger income.”