Editor,
On July 18, I sent an e-mail to all UNM employees explaining the necessity of a small increase in parking rates and stating what the rates would be for the 2001-02 permit year. That message was restated in an advertisement in the July 19-25 edition of the Daily Lobo.
The response I have received to both the letter and the advertisement indicate that some clarification may be necessary.
The 5 percent rate increase is 5 percent of the current parking rate. For the average employee, this is less than four cents per working day. With salaries increasing by 6.5 percent for most employees and parking fees only increasing by 5 percent, parking fees will actually go down as a percentage of employees’ salaries for the second year in a row.
The Parking and Transportation Services team has worked tirelessly to improve efficiency and trim costs. Balancing our budget, despite higher than projected fuel costs and having rates fall as a percentage of employees’ salaries, was a monumental challenge and one that we take pride in having met.
In the responses I received, many employees criticized the current bracket structure for parking fees and suggested possible changes. I thank you for your suggestions, and encourage you to please keep them coming.
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We will not be able to enact any changes to the structure of the bracket system at this time because we are in the midst of a two-year payroll deduction permit cycle. But, as we plan for the next cycle, we will give all of your suggestions careful consideration.
More than 30,000 students, faculty, staff and guests visit the campus daily. With less than 4,000 parking spaces available on the main campus, managing UNM’s parking resources efficiently and keeping University services accessible is a daunting task.
It is the support of the faculty, staff and students that has made this task manageable and has allowed us to focus on ways to improve the campus Parking and Transportation system.
Thank you for your support as we continue our efforts.
-Clovis Acosta
Interim director, Parking and Transportation Services
