Parking pass costs will increase this August for the first time in six years, a University news release stated Friday.

The costs for each parking zone will increase by $10 per month.

Deck parking for non-permit holders will increase by $2 per day, the release said.

Parking Services is a self-supporting auxiliary service. The group has incurred significant amounts of debt over the last few years, as it has funded new parking decks, Tim Burgess, senior vice president for finance and administration, wrote in the news release.

Without the increase, the news release said, Parking Services will experience an annual operating loss in 2009. The department already experienced such a loss this year.

“An increase in user fees is necessary to maintain a sound financial footing,” George Stafford, the associate vice president for auxiliary and administrative services, wrote in the news release.

University parking permits are priced in relation to their proximity to central areas of campus, with the closer permits costing more.

For the 2008-2009 school year, yellow-zone permits will increase from $10 to $20 per month, blue-zone permits will increase from $20 to $30 and red-zone permits will increase from $30 to $40.

Reserved and multi-access permits will increase from $50 to $60 per month, the release said.

Kristen McDaniel, a sophomore marketing major from Newnan, said she researched the University’s parking prices as part of a speech she gave for a class.

McDaniel said other schools allow students to park in several locations on campus, give priority based on number of hours completed and charge one fee for parking.

A major problem at the University is that, even though students pay for a space in a specific lot, they are not guaranteed that spaces always will be available in that lot, she said.

McDaniel said the University charges too much for parking considering the services they provide.

“I understand that they’re building parking decks, but at the same time, you’re not even guaranteed a spot,” she said.

“It’s frustrating.”

Burgess said it will be at least three years before another fee increase is required.

The new rates are comparable to parking permit prices at municipal lots and peer universities, he said.

“We get no state funding and must dedicate more than 60 percent of our annual (Parking Services) budget to debt service and maintenance reserves,” Burgess said.

Parking Services still is paying off debt on a number of facilities, including East Village, Hull Street and the Tate Center decks. North Campus, West Campus and Carlton Street decks are being paid off as well.

Additional parking is also planned for East Campus.