Hinsdale car and truck owners will pay $8 more for their vehicle stickers this year.
The cost of the stickers, which go on sale March 1, will rise from $40 to $48 a year for regular and recreational vehicles. Stickers for trucks and commercial vehicles will go up from $55 to $63 or from $100 to $108, depending on the class of license plate. Those over 65 get a 50 percent discount on one sticker.
The village board unanimously approved the increase on Feb. 18.
The price of vehicle stickers, which must be displayed by May 1, was last raised in 2016.
The increase is the first of several changes village officials plan to implement once the new downtown parking garage opens this summer. The garage, under construction next to the Hinsdale Middle School on Garfield Street south of First Street, will add about 185 parking spaces to the downtown area each weekday and more on the weekends, when school is not in session.
Village officials want business owners and employees to park in the garage to leave spaces on the street in front of restaurants and stores available for shoppers and customers. The village is considering making the meters free, perhaps for the first three hours.
More Top Picks Best Recovery Boots Without Laces
Raising the sticker fees by $8 is expected to generate an additional $67,000 a year to help offset the loss of revenue if the parking meters become free.
Vehicle stickers for motorcycles will cost $4 more, rising from $20 a year to $24, effective May 1.
Residents can buy stickers online, by mail or in person at Village Hall, between 8 a.m. and 4:30 p.m. Monday through Friday.
Village officials also have proposed raising the cost of a commuter parking permit from $620 to $750 a year, which would yield an additional $44,850 annually, Finance Director Darrell Langlois estimates.
Village officials are expected to continue to discuss parking changes at their next meeting at 7:30 p.m. March 3 at Village Hall, at 19 E. Chicago Ave.