The following is the text of a letter to all Cornell employees, dated June 27, from Frederick A. Rogers, senior vice president and chief financial officer, Harold D. Craft, vice president for facilities and campus services, and Mary George Opperman, associate vice president for human resources. The letter sets forth the administration's response to concerns expressed by employees in recent months over previously announced changes in the university's parking plan and fee structure:
We are writing this open letter to the campus concerning parking because of the high level of interest and concern expressed over the recently announced parking plan revisions and price changes. We are in receipt of the petitions delivered to the president's office and have considered all of the input and suggestions received via e-mail and at the Employee Assembly meeting in Uris Hall. In addition, we have met with representatives of the Employee Assembly this month to review the data used earlier in the year to draft the parking plan changes. As a result of the expressed concerns, we have reconsidered the proposed parking changes and have modified some components of the plan. The purpose of this memo is to bring you up to date on where the issue stands, the adjustments we will make in the proposed plan and the outlook for the near future. Further, and more fundamentally, we want to assure you that parking, along with other aspects of the working environment, is a critical issue for Cornell as we all work together to make the university an employer of choice and opportunity.
Parking Designations for Next Year
The parking plan as proposed featured a redesignation of a number of parking lots on campus and a 2, 3 or 4 percent annual increase in all rates each year for three years. The amount of the annual increase was determined by the tier in which the lot was designated, which, in turn, was determined by the lot's location and the demand for it. Most redesignated lots would experience a larger rate increase to bring their rate in line with the newly assigned tier level. In other cases, lot charges were reduced, most notably in the parking garage. The changes in tiers were generally designed to make parking available to employees who might not otherwise be able to select it, to classify lots on a more consistent basis and to improve the likelihood that those who paid for the parking could use it reliably. Unfortunately, such changes would also have resulted in higher prices and, in some cases, limited choices for those who choose not to pay or who cannot pay the new, higher rates. This was the genesis of most of the concerns expressed.
Although the proposed plan, developed by the Transportation Office in consultation with the Assembly's Transportation Advisory Committee and with the major units to be affected, was thought to be an improvement on the current situation, clearly a significant number of faculty and staff feel otherwise. As a result, we have reviewed all the proposed changes and have developed the following revised parking plan. We have agreed with the Employee Assembly that this will remain a three-year plan. We will ask all of the assemblies and the Faculty Senate for their help in reviewing and recommending how future parking and transportation plans might be best developed so that all parties feel that it is an effective and representative process. Their recommendations will be considered by the three of us in reviewing any changes to be put in place after 2000.
Some Specifics:
·The lot behind Schoellkopf will change to tier 4 with a C designation but will remain at the tier 3 pricing rate and will be selected separately from the K areas.
·The SA spaces on South Avenue and the lots at the corner of Edgemoor Lane will remain in tier 2, rather than being designated tier 3 as announced earlier. The spaces in the lot now designated P/SA below Hughes Hall will be redesignated HH and will be assigned to tier 3, rather than tier 6 as announced earlier. The rate for the HH Lot will increase in two roughly equal annual steps from the tier 2 to the tier 3 rate.
·The spaces designated R will all remain as R and in tier 2, rather than being split into R and NR and being assigned partially to tier 3.
·The Wilson Laboratory spaces (W permits) will remain in tier 2.
·The spaces on West Avenue will remain WE in tier 2.
· The remaining portions of the plan will be implemented as announced, including the reductions in rates and in tiers for several areas and the elimination of the FF designation.
·New rates will increase by 2, 3 or 4 percent annually, as previously announced.
Salary Deduction Amounts
A particular problem facing Cornell is the continuing intractability of the state funding for salary increases for our statutory employees. While everyone now anticipates a salary program allowing increases for all statutory employees this calendar year, it has not happened yet and has not happened in the past two years. In recognition of this situation, we have elected to skip the parking payroll deduction for all statutory and endowed employees in the first pay period after July 1. This will occur on July 3 for exempt employees and on July 10 for non-exempt employees. This will mean an effective reduction in parking rates for everyone on the payroll at that time of approximately 3.8 percent. For most people, this will mean no effective increase in the coming year. This cost will be borne by the endowed and statutory budgets as a one-time expense.
Conclusion
Parking is a difficult and sometimes emotional issue. Everyone would like to have very convenient parking at low or no cost. At Cornell, we have chosen to encourage alternatives to single occupant commuting cars and to use our campus land for open space or programmatic buildings. At the same time, resources are tight for all university-supported activities, including parking and transportation. We are lucky to benefit significantly from federal and state support for public transportation through the joint Cornell/municipal transit operations of Tompkins Consolidated Area Transit (TCAT). We look forward to the active and committed involvement of the Transportation Advisory Committee over the next few years as we seek further improvements in our parking and transportation systems and opportunities to enhance the campus community. Thank you.