All,
**If you do not have a parking permit, or have not recently returned your parking permit due to COVID-19 shelter-in-place or remote learning responses, you may disregard this message**
As you may have already seen from an earlier communication, parking permit requirements for regular, non-reserved parking spaces on campus, including the Coastal Sciences Campus and the Westside Research Park facility (2300 Delaware), will be temporarily suspended until May 3rd. This has been done in light of the Santa Cruz County Health Department Shelter in Place Order, which is in effect until May 3rd. Because of this, Transportation and Parking Services (TAPS) and campus leadership have made the decision to temporarily revise the current permit refund policy. Effective immediately, we are implementing automatic refunds for those individuals who are paying for, or who have paid for, long-term parking permits. Refunds will cover the period of time for which the parking permit suspension has been (and will be) in effect (currently March 18th - May 3rd).
Also effective immediately, returning your permit will no longer be required to obtain a refund. If you have already returned your permit, you will still be included in the retroactive refunds that date back to March 18th when permit requirements were originally suspended. Please note - additional information regarding renewals and the eventual re-introduction of permit requirements on campus, is forthcoming. We will be in communication with you as soon as it’s determined how best to proceed.
Your refund distribution will depend on how you paid for your permit. Please see below for your specific situation:
Staff/Faculty
Payroll Deductions:
Because parking is paid in arrears (debits on your payroll check are for the previous pay period’s parking), and due to system restrictions related to UCPath payroll, your refund will occur as a series of credits and debits reflected on your paycheck.
Biweekly employees will see this beginning on their pay stub dated April 15th and monthly employees will see this beginning on their pay stub dated May 1st.
Examples*:
Commuter Smith is an employee who has an Annual A permit that costs $75 per month, and they are paid biweekly. On April 15th, their paycheck will reflect the following:
Credit: Prorated amount reflecting the number of days parking permits were unnecessary during the penultimate pay period (parking for March 8-21)
Debit: Regular bi-weekly debit (parking for March 22-April 4)
The net difference will show on Commuter Smith’s paystub, reflecting a smaller amount than their regular debit. The following pay period will fall fully within the timeline of the permit requirement suspension, so their debit and credit will cancel each other out and no debit will show on their next pay stub.
Traveler Jones is an employee who has the same type of A permit and they are paid monthly.
On May 1st, their paycheck will reflect the following:
Credit: Prorated amount reflecting the number of days parking was unnecessary during the penultimate pay period (parking for March 1-31)
Debit: $75 (Parking for April 1-30)
Traveler’s total will reflect the net difference between both the prorated credit and debit on their pay stub. Should the permit requirement suspension continue into the entirety of May, on June 1st Traveler’s credit will be for a full month, so the credit and debit will cancel each other out.
These credits and debits will continue until normal parking permit requirements are reinstated.
*Please note that credit and debit amounts will vary on an individual basis dependent upon the type of permit you have. The amounts given in the examples are for clarification purposes only.
Prepaid:
If you prepaid for your annual permit in full via cash or credit card, you will be issued a check representing credits retroactive to March 18th through the permit’s expiration. Please email tapssales@ucsc.edu to confirm the address where your check(s) should be mailed.
Graduate / Undergraduate Student
Student Accounts:
If you paid for your permit via your student account, the prorated refund amount will be credited back to your student account. If a partial refund has already been issued, you will receive an additional credit that will cover the time retroactive to March 18th.
Prepaid
If you paid for your permit via cash or credit card, you will be refunded for the balance of your permit retroactive to March 18th. Please email tapssales@ucsc.edu to verify the address where your check should be sent.
I invite any questions that you may have and want to extend my sincere thanks for your patience as we have worked through the process. You can find more answers about transportation and parking related to COVID-19 and the shelter in place ordinance at our FAQ page. The TAPS team is available for any questions that you may have and you can contact us at taps@ucsc.edu.
Regards,
Dan Henderson
Director, Transportation and Parking Services
