ANN ARBOR, MI - Visitors to downtown Ann Arbor who are caught parked at expired meters will pay higher penalty fines soon.

Reaching a compromise after some debate in recent weeks, the City Council voted unanimously Monday night, June 18, to increase the cost of an expired-meter ticket from $20 to $25 effective Aug. 1.

The city's staff previously recommended increasing the fine to $35, but the council decided to take a phased approach with a lesser increase for now. The council may adjust the fines again in a couple years.

Those who pay their parking tickets within one day still will get a discounted fine, but that's going up from $10 to $15. The city's staff originally recommended increasing it to $20.

Council Member Chuck Warpehoski, D-5th Ward, was one of multiple council members who asked the city's staff earlier this month for thoughts on a phased approach to increasing fines.

In a response memo to council dated June 18, Tom Crawford, the city's chief financial officer, said staff did not believe the suggestion of a $30 regular fine -- with a $15 discount fine -- as a first phase would have a material impact on compliance rates "since it would not provide a strong penalty versus just paying the meter."

At Monday night's meeting, Warpehoski still proposed going with a phased approach at that level.

Council Member Jane Lumm, an independent from the 2nd Ward, still thought $30 was excessive and pushed for an amendment lowering it to $25, which the council supported 10-1 with Kirk Westphal, D-2nd Ward, opposed. He was in favor of a higher penalty.

Lumm said she agreed with downtown business groups concerned that increasing fines might turn people away from downtown.

Warpehoski said the concerns about steep and sudden increases were reasonable, but he also thinks the cost of a parking fine should be greater than the cost of feeding the meter.

Crawford appeared before council Monday night and said the point of changing the fines is to incentivize compliance and staff still thinks a fine closer to $35 would be more appropriate.

The city's staff provided data showing the following expired-meter fines as of December 2017 in other places:

University of Michigan -- $10 ($6 if paid within an hour)

Lansing -- $20 ($10 if paid within a day)

East Lansing -- $20 ($10 if paid within a day)

MSU -- $15

Grand Rapids (non-central city) -- $10

Grand Rapids (central city) -- $20

Detroit -- $45

Ypsilanti -- $20 ($15 if paid within a day)

Traverse City -- $10

Kalamazoo -- $15

Austin, TX -- $30 ($15 if paid within a day)

Boulder, CO -- $15

Madison, WI -- $25

Ann Arbor is still considering extending parking meter enforcement hours into the evening.

Following a plan approved by the Downtown Development Authority board, Ann Arbor's hourly parking meter rates went from $1.60 to $1.70 in April and are scheduled to increase to:

$1.80 in January 2019

$1.90 in July 2019

$2 in July 2020

$2.10 in July 2021

$2.20 in July 2022

Hourly rates in the garages are scheduled to stay at $1.20 through the four-year period.