Several members of the D.C. Council’s transportation committee think the $35 residents pay each year for most residential street parking is way too low. They’ve proposed raising the fee to $50, with additional vehicles costing more.

The committee wants the price to go up for every additional car registered, so a second vehicle would cost $75 a year, a third would be $100 and any additional would be $150.

Many residential streets in the District require a permit for street parking, but the committee says the District is renting public space “far below market value.”

“This price represents a bargain for parking, with most garages in the city charging $200 a month or more,” said Committee Chair and Ward 3 Councilmember Mary Cheh. “While other prices and costs in the District have increased significantly in the last eight years, RPP fees have remained unchanged, with no adjustment even for inflation.”

The idea gained favor with most of the committee, but Councilmember Jack Evans didn’t support the idea. He said it would hurt families that may have four vehicles.

“$140 versus $375 is a 150 percent increase,” Evans said. “That’s a big deal, a big jump. Although it doesn’t sound like a lot of money, it is a lot of money. The complaints I get a lot is that the government is nickel-and-diming us.”

The residential permit program started in the mid-1970s when “citizens were concerned about the increasing number of out-of-state cars parked on residential streets. Residents could not park on their own block. Commuters were turning our neighborhoods into parking lots,” according to DDOT’s brochure.

Here’s how people reacted to the council’s proposed changes on Twitter:

Even $375 per year to park FOUR CARS on city streets is an order of magnitude cheaper than the market rate. DC city government is giving away public property. It’s fiscally irresponsible. https://t.co/tv7JFeMlxa

— Devin Brady (@bradyhunch) May 2, 2019

https://twitter.com/goliathmeadow/status/1124006725236011009

https://twitter.com/Erinfor4B02/status/1123990836256083970

I have never once heard a complaint that RPP is too expensive…I do hear regular complaints that people can't find on-street parking spaces, a problem exacerbated if households can park three or four cars on the street at bargain basement prices.

— Patrick Kennedy (@PLKDC) May 2, 2019

To @JackEvansWard2: the RPP program is one of the largest governmental giveaways in the District. $35 per year for RPP is nearly 10 times below market rate in many areas in DC. Build in a need-based discount for families with excess financial need, but we need this pricing NOW. https://t.co/eWpArpnt0Y

— Rudi Riet #Repeal2A #ClimateEmergency #SafeStreets (@randomduck) May 2, 2019

This story originally appeared at WAMU.