Residents of Columbia might find themselves paying more for parking in the near future.

The Columbia City Council is considering changes which would raise the cost of parking downtown. The proposal, included in the 2015 fiscal year budget, would increase the rates charged by parking meters and garages, extend the hours charged, and increase fines for parking tickets.

The changes include: Running the meters an hour later each day; increasing meter rates by 15 cents per hour; creating a three-hour minimum for meters that accept credit cards; adding a 50 cent charge for using a credit card; and increasing the cost of parking garages and lot permits by $5. None of the proposed changes would apply to parking on the MU campus.

The proposal comes as part of an effort to meet a budget shortfall.

“The parking utility is losing money,” Fourth Ward Councilman Ian Thomas said. “We need to fix the hole in our budget. A way to do that is to increase parking fees and fines. Real estate for parking cars is a valuable retail commodity, and we need to fix prices accordingly.”

Third Ward Councilman Karl Skala said he agreed.

“We want to increase rates only to the extent that they don’t negatively affect business downtown,” he said. “On the other hand, rates and fees need to keep up with the cost of maintenance and upkeep of the parking facilities.”

Columbia’s parking costs still won’t compare to bigger cities, Thomas said.

“I’ve visited a ton of cities that have very vibrant, active downtowns,” he said. “They all have more expensive parking than we do.”

Both councilmen said they hope Columbia will better enforce its collection of delinquent parking fines. Skala said the city needs to collect what he estimated are “hundreds of thousands of dollars of unpaid parking fines.”

Thomas, Skala and First Ward Councilwoman Ginny Chadwick all said they believe the increased cost of parking will not negatively affect downtown businesses. Chadwick, whose district includes the downtown area, said she has not heard any negative feedback from business owners.

Though business owners may have been quiet on the issue, commuters like MU graduate student Scott Hawf said commuters are unhappy.

“Parking downtown is one of the most anxiety-provoking things of my day,” Hawf said. “I can leave home an hour early and still not be able to find a spot in time for class.”

Hawf said price increases won’t change the shortage of parking spaces, and they won’t cause him to leave his car at home or find alternative transportation.

“I still have to go to class,” he said. “I won’t stop driving just because I have to pay more. I can’t do anything about it. They have us bent over backwards, and they know it.”

The changes are not meant to discourage people from coming downtown, but would hopefully increase turnover and keep people from tying up valuable parking spaces for hours, Thomas said.

“We want to see people come downtown for a short time and use spaces carefully,” he said.

If passed, the proposed changes would go into effect Jan. 1, 2015.

Thomas, a longtime advocate of alternative modes of transportation, said he hopes the parking will spur Columbia towards being a more walkable, environmentally friendly city.

“We want downtown Columbia to be a more attractive, vibrant place for people to live, work and play,” he said. “It’s a big-picture vision.”