Those friendly little parking tickets from the university may soon have even more bite.

At a Thursday meeting of the Iowa State Transportation Advisory Council members debated what committee chairman James Gaunt said is an annual question: Should parking fines and fees be raised?

The council is considering increasing fines because parking lot renovations and Department of Public Safety projects have heightened expenses.

“We could make a case for raising some of the fines,” Gaunt said.

The Government of the Student Body Senate is considering a resolution that would call on the university to lower parking fines if passed. Gaunt said that’s impossible. He said some students don’t understand that fines are a penalty and a deterrent, not a fee for a better parking spot.

Some members of the council said making slight increases now will help cover future expenses and help deter people from parking illegally on campus.

Statistics from 1996 indicate that 45 percent of DPS’ parking division budget came from parking fines. Officials said that figure will remain about the same for 1997.

The council considered raising fines for overtime parking meters by $5, improper affixing of permits by $5 and improper uses of gate cards by $10.

Other price hikes discussed included raising the fines for parking in Lot 65 in front of Alumni Hall to $40 and raising the fine for parking in a handicapped stall to $100.

Other projects with which the council is moving ahead include a $220,000 parking lot at the Administrative Services Building in Pammel Court, a $50,000 allocation for bicycle racks and paths, a $60,000 allocation in computer upgrades and a $15,000 “Beach Bottoms” project, which would provide parking at the football stadium near Beach Avenue.

Although plans call for a $498,000 expenditure on capital projects, a tentative plan includes future projects that may cost about $10 million. Long-range plans call for an $8 million parking ramp.

Connie Colle, a DPS program coordinator, reported that officials collected the most money last year from a $12 fine for parking without an appropriate permit and a $15 fine for parking in a reserved lot.

Guant said he cannot anticipate what the council’s reaction will be next week when members may vote on proposals for maintaining the cost of fees and increasing some of the fines.