Friday October 19, 2001

Parking and Transportation to postpone maintenance to pay additional costs

UA auxiliary services like Parking and Transportation will have to pay a higher service charge beginning this summer, in order to counter $13.8 million in state-mandated budget cuts, university officials said this week.

Those services currently pay the University of Arizona a five percent service charge, but starting July 1 it will be increased to six percent. It is not certain how much money will be generated from these additional fees.

Auxiliary services generate their own funds, receive no state funding and are not considered central to the academic function of the university.

Gary Thomson, associate director of Parking and Transportation Services, said raising prices for parking permits as a result of the service charge hike has not been discussed.

Instead, the department has postponed improvements and maintenance on lots and garages for the rest of the school year.

He said a planned lighting improvement in Main Gate Garage will now be cancelled, and parking lots that were scheduled to be resurfaced will just have potholes filled in an effort to delay the process.

He said the money that will be pulled to pay the higher service charge was strictly for making improvements, so there will be no effect on the number of parking spaces available.

Thomson said the plan will affect projects scheduled for this semester and next, and further action will be decided on when next years budget is made.

Frank Farias, director of the UofA Bookstore, said the change will not affect the bookstore because UA officials do not want to raise textbook prices.

"They felt it would be like an indirect tuition increase," he said.

The percentage change would have generated $1 million from the bookstore if it had been implemented.

Steve Mack, director of UA purchasing, said some services that fall under his department's control - like printing and graphic services for individual departments - will be affected by the higher percentage, but he said it is too early to forecast the affects the percentage change will have.

"There has been some conversation," he said. "But it is still so fresh, it is hard to have a clear indication of how this will effect us."

The percentage change was recommended by the president's Cabinet as another step to find money to give back to the state. Other university auxiliary services that will be affected by the increase include Residence Life and Intercollegiate Athletics.

In addition, UA President Peter Likins and all university vice presidents have cut a total of $875,000 from their office budgets to help offset the budget cuts.

The funds come from cutbacks in travel, computer upgrades and not filling empty staff positions.