It’s going to cost more to park your car and your airplane at Redmond Airport.

Vehicle fees will increase later this year under a new airport fee structure, but all other fee hikes are effective immediately.

Under the new fee format, hourly parking rates will remain the same: $1. But airport management will implement short- and long-term parking once a parking lot expansion project is completed later this year.

Daily short-term parking rates will be $10, and long-term rates will be $6. Currently, daily rates are capped at $5.

”Fees had to go up,” said Airport Manager Carrie Novick. ”We just spent $6.5 million on the (construction of the new) parking lot.”

The airport also is considering raising money by allowing advertisements on parking lot light poles. Preliminarily, each pole would rent for $2,400 per year.

”I think we should always be looking at new, creative ways to make revenue,” Novick said. ”This is one of those ways.”

Other fee hikes, effective this month, mostly affect general aviation aircraft and on-site businesses like taxis and rental car companies.

Some of the fee hikes include a $5 increase to monthly tie-down fees for general aviation aircraft, a 1-cent increase in fuel prices for airport fuel dealers and a $50 jump to the annual operations fees charged to taxis and limousines at the airport.

”It has been many years since we raised rates, and we thought it was time to do it again,” Novick said. ”Every part of our operation has grown, and it costs more to operate.”

In most cases, the fee increases go directly toward related improvement projects.

For instance, the tie-down fee, now at $35 per month, helps pay for the portion of the general aviation aircraft parking ramp that was paved last month.

Similarly, the new $200 annual operation fee for taxis and limousines per company at the airport will offset some of the cost of a new pick-up area by the terminal entrance, scheduled to be completed in early fall.

”Let me stress one thing: We are not a profit center,” Novick said, noting that the airport does not rely on funding from the city of Redmond and must generate revenues for improvements. ”We have to keep moving forward to stay in the position that allows us to make changes (to the airport). But we also have to be reasonable.”

She added that there may be incremental fee increases in the next few years because the airport has several improvement projects planned or under construction, including the larger parking lot and an expanded terminal.

Brandon Wilcox, owner of general aviation firm Professional Air, said some of the company’s nighttime operations will land and take off from Redmond Airport in the next few months as Bend Municipal Airport’s runway is relocated. But Wilcox added that the impact of the new fees should be minimal for private planes looking to park at Redmond Airport during the Bend project.

”If (the $35 fee) is just for open space outside, that’s extremely cheap,” he said. ”They could charge $75 to $100 a month, and they could still have it full. The demand for aircraft parking is very high in Central Oregon right now.”

John Godlove, owner of Central Oregon Airport Shuttle, said the fee increases for taxis and similar vehicles operating at the airport won’t affect his business too much.

”It doesn’t surprise me (that fees went up),” Godlove said. ”Everything’s going up. (The increase) is $50 for a year. How many pennies a year is that? It’s not many. I rather (the rate) wasn’t going up, but I don’t have a choice.”

Other fee increases include a $25 spike in rental prices for the conference room, now at $75 for three hours.

Not all fees are increasing, however. The U.S. Transportation Security Administration previously mandated a supplemental security fee of 32 cents per passenger for any airline operating at the airport.

The TSA no longer requires that fee, and Redmond Airport has taken the charge off the table for Horizon Air and SkyWest Airlines, the latter of which operates Delta Connection and United Express flights. Revenue from the expanded parking lot will replace revenue from the charge.

”We’re grateful that (airport management) has taken on the fee and have decided not to pass the cost on to the airlines,” said Jen McSkimming, Horizon’s media relations manager. ”We always like to see security levels at their optimum, and we’re very supportive of the airport for this.”

Some new fees

Plane tie-down fee: A $5 increase to the $35 per month fee for general aviation aircraft.

Fuel: 1-cent increase in fuel prices for airport fuel dealers.

Parking: Daily short-term parking rates will be $10, and long-term rates will be $6. This increase won’t go into effect until later this year.