New Lenox Considers Increase to Metra Parking Fee

Commuters who use the New Lenox Metra lot could see a 25-cent daily increase this year and even more in the future to help pay for regular maintenance, future repairs and a security system.

The issue was discussed at a committee meeting Monday night and will be brought up by the Village Board at a later date. Here’s a rundown of what you need to know:

What’s the reason for the increase?

Right now, your tax dollars are subsidizing the Metra lot even if you don’t use it. That’s because it costs more to maintain the lots than the village gets back in revenue from parking fees.

According to finance director Kim Auchstetter, the village spent $298,349 on the Metra lot but only brought in $232,997 in revenue. On average, the village pays about $30,000 extra out of its general fund each year to subsidize the lot.

“The rest of the budget shouldn’t be covering the cost of a user-based service,” Mayor Tim Baldermann .

The village projects it will spend about $275,000 on the lots in the 2012-13 budget year. That includes about $100,000 for snow and ice removal services, and the reason the figure is lower this year is because to fight the string of car thefts in the lot.

So the fee increase would go toward covering the actual cost to maintain the lot and also account for the security camera purchase. The fee could increase more in the future because there are necessary upgrades planned for the lots that include resurfacing and restriping, and that’s estimated to cost about $863,000.

How much will we pay?

At the meeting Monday night, Village Administrator Kurt Carroll recommended a 50-cent increase to the $1 daily fee charged to park in the village’s commuter lots. That, he said, would cover the operating costs and help the village save for the future maintenance.

But village trustees Dave Butterfield and Nancy Dye were in favor of a gradual increase, primarily because Metra's board of directors recently approved a 25 percent fare hike and they wanted to minimize the immediate burden.

“We have to talk about it, but the timing is bad for everybody,” Butterfield said. “But it’s inevitable—it’s going to happen.”

Carroll took that suggestion and said he’ll recommend a 25-cent increase to the Village Board, but at some point a 50-cent increase would still be needed to help plan for the future upgrades. He said he’s not sure how long it would be before the village charges $1.50 to park in the lots.

“Each year you don’t, it’s $57,000 you have to come up with another way,” he said.

Auchstetter projected a 50-cent increase would provide an additional $57,000 each year in revenue for the village to put toward operating costs and the upgrades. A 25-cent increase will at least help the village break even for the time being.

The village will need to upgrade different parts of the lots at different times, with the first project likely to happen in 2015. Village officials touted during the meeting that the parking fees haven’t been raised in 20 years, and at $1 per day it’s one of the cheapest commuter lots along the Rock Island and SouthWest Service lines.

How will we pay?

A dollar bill is easy enough to hold onto, but what about making sure you’ve got an extra quarter or two? The committee discussed possible ways to ease payments for lot users.

The option that seemed most favorable to village officials and Metra is a token system that’s recently been adopted by Tinley Park and Mokena, which to help pay for various upgrades.

Commuters would be able to purchase sheets of 10 tokens at , and possibly other stores in town if the village could work out a deal. Commuters would still have the option of paying in coins and cash.

Carroll said he’ll recommend that option to the board at a future meeting. The village prepares its budget every spring, so the board would decide this matter soon.