The price for monthly parking downtown may soon be on the rise.

State College Borough Council heard a recommendation April 21 on a possible increase in monthly parking rates for lots and garages downtown.

Council decided to pass the information to the transportation commission before making a decision on the potential increase, council member Cathy Dauler said. Members of the transportation commission will review the proposal at their meeting in May and give their findings to council, she said.

In December, council voted to increase the hourly rate of parking at meters along the street and in downtown parking garages.

During the meeting, council asked the borough staff to write a recommendation about increasing the price of monthly parking rates in garages downtown as well, Mark Whitfield, director of public works, said.

If approved, the increase in monthly parking rates would vary based on lot locations, and the increase would help fund a new 500- to 600-car parking facility on Garner Street, Whitfield said.

The potential increase could cause people to think twice about driving to work every day, he said.

The transportation commission does not want to see long-term vehicle storage in garages downtown, Whitfield said. However, the commission does not want to raise the rates too much and push customers toward using university parking, he said.

"It's a balancing act," Whitfield said.

No decision has been made about the amount of the proposed increase, Mike Groff, finance director for the borough, said. However, a system-wide review of the parking rates is appropriate, he said. "Some increase is probably warranted," Groff said.

Dauler said she was unsure whether she would vote for an increase in rates. "I'll wait and see what the citizens on that committee recommend," she said.