Starting Thursday, Feb. 1, drivers will notice changes in what they pay at the two Cobb County-run parking decks just off the Square in Marietta.

Hours for which drivers have to pay to park are now 6 a.m. to 8 p.m. on weekdays - that extended from 5 p.m. Parking at the decks on weekends used to be free, but now Saturdays are pay to park until 8 p.m. Sundays will remain free.

Replacing the flat $5 fee is now a graduated fee structure. "You can get in and out for free if you finish your business within a half an hour, two dollars if you're in less than a couple hours, then five dollars, up to seven dollars if you spend all day in the decks," says Cobb County spokesman Ross Cavitt.

As for one possible scenario: "What if I come in at 7:45 (p.m.), then do I get to leave for free at 9 o'clock that night...and the answer is no," says Cavitt.

The reason for the change in parking fees and hours at the decks has to do with a shortfall that the county is trying to cover. "People haven't been using them as much as we projected that they would," Cavitt says. "The five dollar fee is not covering the cost of paying-off the debt service on the decks."

He says that debt service (from deck construction) is "hundreds of thousands of dollars in arrears each year on that payment", requiring the need for the new fee structure. County commissioners approved the plan last fall.

County officials found business owners in and around the Marietta Square aren't thrilled with the new deck parking arrangement, but that they are "generally understanding."

Cavitt says the county will review the new parking deck fee structure after six months. He also says in the coming weeks officials will talk with operators of the Strand Theatre on the Square, about possibly instituting a voucher system for days the venue holds events.