Traverse City commissioners last night approved increasing permit fees for downtown surface parking lots and parking garages and allocating $75,000 to hire additional seasonal employees to plow city trails, sidewalks and bus stops.

The permit fee increases will go into effect January 1 and will raise annual lot permits from $345 to $390 and garage permits from $425 to $520. While some commissioners expressed concerns about the impact of the rate hikes on downtown employees, as well as a gap in pricing between monthly and annual permit rates that might negatively affect minimum-wage workers, Downtown Development Authority (DDA) Executive Director Rob Bacigalupi said the organization is hoping to offer “many” more options in the future to increase flexibility and choice for downtown parkers. Increased parking system revenues will help for technology to implement such options, according to Bacigalupi. City commissioners are expected to review additional parking rate increases throughout downtown in the new year.

Commissioners also approved spending up to $75,000 in the 2014-15 winter season to hire additional staff to help clear city sidewalks, trails and bus stops of snow. The expenditure was prompted by a TART Trails proposal for the city to help pay for trails plowing. That specific plan was rejected by commissioners, but generated discussion of how else to address city snow removal needs.