BILL ANALYSIS Ó
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|SENATE RULES COMMITTEE | SB 774|
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THIRD READING
Bill No: SB 774
Author: Hancock (D)
Amended: 4/6/11
Vote: 21
SENATE EDUCATION COMMITTEE : 8-1, 3/30/11
AYES: Lowenthal, Alquist, Blakeslee, Hancock, Huff, Price,
Simitian, Vargas
NOES: Runner
NO VOTE RECORDED: Liu, Vacancy
SUBJECT : California Community Colleges: parking fees
SOURCE : Author
DIGEST : This bill authorizes the governing board of a
community college district to increase parking services fee
limits charged to students and employees to a maximum of
$50 per semester and provides for annual increases to the
fee limit, as specified.
ANALYSIS : Existing law authorizes the governing board of
a California Community College (CCC) district to charge
students and employees a maximum of $40 per semester and
$20 per intercession for regular parking permits, not to
exceed the actual cost of providing parking services.
Current law also prohibits a district from charging more
than $30 per semester and $15 per intercession for permits
issued to students who regularly carpool and specifies that
students who receive Board of Governors' (BOG) Fee Waivers
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are exempt from parking fees that exceed $20 per semester.
Existing law authorizes the governing board of a CCC
district to charge a fee in excess of the $40 limit if the
number of full-time equivalent students per parking space
exceeds the statewide average and if the price of land
adjacent to the campus exceeds the statewide average cost
of land adjacent to community college campuses.
Existing law requires revenues from parking fees to be
expended only for parking services or for purposes of
reducing the costs to students and employees using public
transportation to and from college.
Existing law authorizes the governing board of a CCC
district to require students and employees at a campus to
pay a fee to partially or fully recover costs incurred by
the district for providing reduced public transportation
fares to students and employees, and specifies that the sum
of the fee for transportation and the fee charged for
parking services shall not exceed $70 per semester or $35
per intersession or the equivalent for part-time
enrollment.
This bill:
1.Raises the statutory limits for parking fees CCC
districts are allowed to charge by authorizing governing
boards to charge:
A. Up to $50 per semester and $25 per intercession
for parking services.
B. Up to $35 per semester and $15 per intercession
for students who certify that they regularly carpool
with two or more passengers in the vehicle parked at
the community college.
2.Specifies that the governing board of each community
college district may increase the fee limits by the same
percentage increase as the Implicit Price Deflator for
State and Local Government Purchases of Goods and
Services published by the United States Department of
Commerce.
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3.Specifies that the fees may be increased annually up to
the next whole dollar increment above the existing fee
limit the produced by the calculation in #2 above.
3.Increases the amount students on a BOG fee waiver may pay
for parking by specifying that students who receive these
waivers shall be exempt from parking fees that exceed $30
per semester.
Comments
Need for the Bill . The current cap on CCC parking fees has
been in place since 1988 when it was increased from $20 per
semester. Parking fees are intended to cover the actual
cost of providing parking services including security
services, maintenance of parking lots and parking
structures, site improvements, and equipment such as
security cameras and parking machines. According to a
recent survey conducted by the California Community College
Chancellor's office, a few districts charge parking fees in
excess of the $40 limit, while a few rural districts do not
require students to pay a fee for parking. Most districts
that responded to the survey, however, charge more than $30
per semester for regular parking, and several districts are
at the statutory limit of $40. Several respondents
indicated that the current fee limit does not generate
sufficient revenue to pay for all their maintenance
requirements causing them to supplement with general fund
resources, which over time could erode programs and
services. This bill gives districts greater flexibility to
adjust parking fees to meet local needs while maintaining a
level of affordability for students.
Implicit Price Deflator . The Implicit Price Deflator for
State and Local Government Purchases of Goods and Services
is an index published by the U.S. Department of commerce
that is a weighted average of the detailed price indexes
used in estimating constant-dollar GDP. This measure of
inflation is used to calculate increases to school district
revenue limits and cost of living adjustments for
California Community Colleges. It is also used by various
state agencies as an objective metric for determining an
annual rate of increase or decrease in fees.
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The proposal to tie the parking fee cap to the Implicit
Price Deflator is consistent with the authorized fees for
the community colleges, including health fees and
transportation services. This method will allow for more
gradual increases over time and enable governing boards to
better ensure that funds generated from parking fees will
cover the actual costs of providing parking services to
students.
Related and Prior Legislation
SB 82 (Hancock), Chapter 619, Statutes of 2010, increased
and established an annual inflationary adjustment to the
statutory cap placed on California community college
transportation fees. Passed the Senate with a vote of 32-3
on August 27, 2010.
AB 774 (Cook), Chapter 253, Statutes of 2009, authorized
the Riverside Community College District to charge a fee to
fund transportation services, as specified. Passed the
Senate with a vote of 38-0 on August 27, 2009.
AB 1980 (Swanson), Chapter 145, Statutes of 2008,
authorized the Peralta Community College District to charge
a fee to fund transportation services, as specified.
Passed the Senate with a vote of 36-2 on July 2, 2008.
AB 1968 (Leslie), Chapter 560, Statutes of 2006, authorized
the Los Rios Community College District and the Rio Hondo
Community College District to charge a fee for using
transportation services, as specified. Passed the Senate
with a vote of 40-0 on August 31, 2006.
AB 2812 (Assembly Higher Education Committee), Chapter 954,
Statutes of 1998, reorganized community college parking fee
provisions, authorized community college governing boards
to levy fees to fund parking facility construction and
transportation services, and established maximum fee
amounts that districts are authorized to charge for parking
and transportation services. Passed the Senate with a vote
of 37-0 on August 19, 1998.
FISCAL EFFECT : Appropriation: No Fiscal Com.: No
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Local: No
SUPPORT : (Verified 4/12/11)
Community College League
Kern Community College District
Los Angeles Community College District
Mt. San Jacinto Community College District
Peralta Community College District
Rio Hondo Community College District
San Jose-Evergreen Community College District
West Kern Community College District
CPM:cm 4/12/11 Senate Floor Analyses
SUPPORT/OPPOSITION: SEE ABOVE
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