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Why do I have to pay for parking?

Why UW-Green Bay Charges Parking Fees
Under Wisconsin law ยง36.11, Universities are directed to charge parking fees to cover the cost of construction and maintenance of parking facilities. Parking permit fees fund new lot constructions, the resurfacing and/or filling of cracks in existing lots, painting lines, snow removal, signage, and general upkeep such as debris removal. The fees cover services similar to those covered by municipal taxes, and without them our campus infrastructure would become unusable and unsafe. To put costs of operating such large parking facilities into perspective, University Parking's three year average for Expense Code 2400 and Expense Code 3100 are both over $100,000.  

Providing Options, based on use
Parking has worked hard to ensure that we do not provide a one size fits all approach to parking fees. Yearly permits are available to yearly employees. Semester permits are available to everyone and cost reflects half of a yearly permit. In addition to this, we offer convenient hourly and daily parking rates through the Park Mobile application. It's up to the end user to determine how much parking they wish to pay for. By taking this approach, we provide some of the lowest cost of parking on any UW campus. 

Maintaining our Campus for the Future
Parking Operations and Facilities Management work closely together to strategically plan for both the immediate and long-term campus infrastructure needs. We have identified areas of concern and construction payment schedules are such that a significant cash balance is needed in the previous fiscal year in order to initiate a project for the following year. The fee increase reflects our preparations for the following anticipated project costs, which must be completed over the next several years to maintain access to campus.

If the fund balance is not present or sufficient enough to complete work, necessary repair projects are suspended. Deferring projects means they become more costly as the age and condition of the needed work worsens. It is important that we take care our campus for today and into the future.

The fees we charge are carefully calculated to maintain operational needs but account for the known projects. Some of these projects carry a substantial cost, and are noted below:

Studio Arts        $1,063,000
Kress Center      $   960,000
The Weidner Center $   700,000  (Valet Lot and A pod only)
Walter Way        $   750,000
The Weidner Center $   800,000 (Pods B & C)

Why does this only apply to the Green Bay campus?
Marinette, Maintowoc, and Sheboygan campus are operated in cooperation with the county in which they reside. Although they are UW-Green Bay institutions, the structures and land on which they operate are not owned by the University of Wisconsin System. Accordingly, we are unable to assess parking fees and  maintenance for the lots defaults to the county.