Parking fees and parking ticket fines at city lots downtown are going up.
On Monday city council OK'd the increase, which is expected to generate $218,000 to $233,000 in revenue for the city.
The rate increases will vary at each of the city operated lots and parkades - ranging from a few dollars per month to almost $20 per month.
In addition, the fine for parking without paying will jump from $2 to $25.
"Staff are not providing a status quo option for fines and other infractions as staff do not believe the current fine structure is reasonable, nor does it act as an effective deterrent to undesirable practices/behaviour," city bylaw services manager Guy Gusdale wrote in his report to council. "The existing penalty, currently set at $2 per offense, does not act as a sufficient deterrent and may be viewed by some off-street users as an alternate billing system."
The increased fine will justify dedicating additional staff time to patrolling the lots operated by the city, Gusdale added.
"We are looking at dedicating one of our staff on a rotating basis to off-street enforcement," he said.
The full schedule of parking fees can be found on the city's website, http://princegeorge.ca.
