Parking fines, ticketing have been very good to Charleston's budget

Image by Flickr user Sean FutureImage by 20081209-parking-ticket.jpg Money in the bank.

A proposed hike in the city's parking ticket fee from $8 to $14 is up tonight, and The Post and Courier thought it would take a quick look at how well nearby cities do.

Before any fee hike, Charleston is pulling in some $2.2 million, while Savannah has taken in $1.2 million from January through November, and Columbia pulls in some $1.7 million.

Not too shabby for Charleston, but it's not just in parking tickets where the city is doing well. Ever since Police Chief Greg Mullen came in during late 2006, Charleston's moving violation collections have nearly doubled to $1.2 million.

Get the story over at The Post and Courier.