USD parking lot maintenance, repair costs soar to $19 million

Costs for deferred parking lot maintenance at the University of South Dakota is estimated at an upwards of $19 million, according to University Police Department official Mindy Baylor.

Baylor said parking pass fees, which generate $400,000 each year, are allotted for making such repairs and maintaining parking lots around campus.

However, the revenue is not enough to cover total maintenance expenses.

The price of a year-round parking pass at USD is $126, but an increase in price could be in the works, Baylor said.

“At this time, the user charges have not been proposed, so I cannot answer whether the price of parking permits will go up,” Baylor said.

Parking passes are required in order to park in most parking lots on campus. The penalty of not displaying a parking pass includes a monetary fine of varying amounts, usually between $15 and $30.

In order to increase the price of parking passes at USD, a proposal would have to go through the South Dakota Board of Regents.  Justification and reasoning for the increase would have to be included in the proposal, and the SDBOR would hold the ultimate power of either accepting or rejecting a price increase.

Senior Nathan Puhl said there are too many restrictions outlining who can and cannot park in certain parking lots.

“I don’t have a parking pass because I feel they are too expensive, and they should create one general parking pass and not have different lots labeled as A or B,” Puhl said.

Puhl said there is a shortage of available parking at USD.

“If a price increase were to occur it would just be another reason not to buy a pass.”

First-year Maria Binder said a price increase in parking passes would deter her from buying a parking pass.

“I share a car with my brother, so we share a pass,” Binder said. “I don’t think the price is unreasonable, but a lot of my friends complain about getting parking tickets.”