So, State College Borough has decided to raise the fee to park downtown.

On the surface, the 15-cent increase for meters on the streets and in public parking garages doesn't seem like a large increase.

However, when students, professors, residents and employees of downtown businesses add up how much this price increase will cost them over time, the sum is a large amount of money.

The higher rate should promote faster parking turnover, which will do away with the idea that there is no parking downtown, said State College Borough Council member Janet Knauer.

Another possible result: Parking enforcement officers place more small yellow envelopes under the windshield wipers of cars whose owners did not know about the increase or did not know to bring more change.

That would definitely produce more revenue, right?

As reported last October in The Daily Collegian, nearly $827,000 was budgeted into the 2002 general fund from parking fines, said State College finance director Mike Groff. The amount breaks down to $310,000 from parking meter violations and $517,000 for other parking violations.

Revenue indeed.

The money brought in by the parking increase is going toward building a new parking garage downtown.

This is a wonderful thing, and, obviously, another parking garage is very needed and helpful.

And while it is good to give back to the community and help local businesses, it is possible that the increase in parking fees will deter patrons from shopping at downtown businesses.

One local business owner said he thinks people are shopping outside of downtown because parking is free on the outskirts of town.

Knauer said parking was too inexpensive and people are getting a bargain.

While it is cheaper to park here than New York City, State College and its population is a lot different from The Big Apple.