New parking regulations are now in effect in downtown Charleston.

Along with a rise in price, identification tags are now given to all parking spot leasers to place in their car window.

“(Parking passes) have been $15 for the past several years, and now the cost is going up around $7 more per tag,” said Chris Darimont, a Charleston community service officer.

Dave Chambers, the Charleston deputy chief, said the new tag system was not the reason the cost of the spaces was increased.

“The lots have been upgraded and a lot of money was invested in them,” Chambers said. “Also, we haven’t raised parking rates in a long time. The tags were not the direct reason the prices were raised.”

Parking spots in Lots A, E and H, which are open from 6 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday, cost $22 monthly, $60 per quarter or $200 annually.

“Usually, people who are employed downtown are more likely to use these lots,” Darimont said.

The 24-hour Lots B and F are generally leased by people who live by the square and cost $24 monthly, $66 per quarter and $220 per year.

Darimont said he thinks the new system is a sufficient way to address flaws the previous system contained.

Before the parking tag assignments were required, the only way for a police officer to identify an illegally parked car was to check the registration, Chambers said.

“Now with the tag system, it will allow us to keep track of those who have paid for their spot a little better,” Chambers said. “But, more importantly, it allows us to enforce those lots and keep out the people who haven’t paid.”

Darimont said an additional attempt to alleviate the issue of people parking in the wrong parking spaces has been addressed by raising the parking ticket fine from $15 to $30.

“Hopefully that will deter people from parking in the reserved spots,” Darimont said.

Kayleigh Zyskowski can be reached at 581-7942 or kzyskowski@eiu.edu.