Commissioners Court Raises Parking Rates … Again

For the second time in just over a year, rates are going up at the county courthouse parking garage.

It was just 14 months ago when the rates went up slightly, and county commissioners decided to charge anyone parked in the garage more than half an hour the full daily rate.

On Monday, commissioners voted unanimously to raise those rates once again.

Currently, the rates are a $1.50 for up to 30 minutes in the garage, and anything over that goes to the full rate of $3.75. But come October 1, the rates will go to $2 for up to a half hour and a full $5 for anything over that, an increase of 33 percent in the parking rates in one shot.

Commissioners, who voted unanimously for the increase, said it will allow them to raise an additional $123,000 dollars a year for the general fund. As part of the agreement, 10 percent of that, or about $12,000 a year, will be used to fix things in the garage like the elevators, which are often broken.

But the increase still didn’t sit well with some who use the garage.

“I don’t agree with it at all,” said Melanie Fernandez, who brought a friend to a court hearing and parked in the garage. “There should be a reason all the elevators are not being taken care of. That’s a personal problem. That shouldn’t be taken to the public.”

Commissioners said if they didn’t raise the rates, those improvements would have to come out of taxpayer revenue. They also said that even at $5, they consider the county garage a bargain. But ABC-7 found several lots downtown that can beat the county garage’s price, so it may pay to shop around when parking.