COLUMBIA, S.C. — Parking rates in Columbia could increase as early as the end of this year, according to the city council.
City Councilman Peter Brown said it's been decades since parking rates were adjusted, and Columbia's is much cheaper than other cities in the state.
"It's a service model that's that's designed around, in my mind, the least efficient way of doing things, which is charging the least amount of money for the least amount of service," said Brown. "So I think, I think what we're doing now is looking at the overall value of parking, the value of the community, the value of the people, and the value of what we are offering as a city."
The city hopes adjusting parking rates will free up spaces and improve service, which Brown said will be vital for the city's growth.
“If you kind of drive around, you'll see that Sumter Street has plenty of parking, and Main Street has not," Brown said. "So, you're in a situation where we've got to balance out the downtown parking services and allow for people to come and go and to have a reasonable fare or fee, so people don't stay there all day."
Charleston native John Peters said parking is much more competitive in other cities. He said the last ticket he got in downtown Charleston was expensive.
"It’s kind of tough down there," said Peters. "I came back and had a ticket, it was $14 ticket, and if I didn’t pay it within a month, it was $23."
The city does not have a set plan for how much the parking rates will increase, but Brown said residents can expect to see the changes go into effect at the end of the year. They do not plan to change the free weekend or overnight parking.