A City Council committee recently discussed the possibility of imposing new fees or increasing existing fees for city services, but most council members were cool to the idea.
At the March 28 meeting, Andrea Tevlin, the council’s independent budget analyst, offered 12 suggestions in a report about new fees for city services or increases on current services.
The report included surcharges for 911 calls, paramedic services and parking meter cards. Other ideas included a $12 fee to replace an automated refuse container, a charge to increase boat launches for non-city residents, increased fees for storm drains, charging businesses who are not operating with a business license, and increasing fees for business improvement districts.
“These are probably not feasible for 2008, but perhaps in 2009,” Tevlin said, adding that more research is needed. “It’s something that should be kept on the table,” she said. “We want to get the discussion started.”
Tevlin also suggested the city step up its collections on past due fees already owed to by residents.
No one on the Budget and Finance Committee favored tinkering with paramedics or 911 calls.
“How would you collect that?” District 2 Councilman Kevin Faulconer asked, noting that some people might not call for an ambulance or 911 if they were going to pay a fee to do so.
“Some of these do more harm than good,” Councilwoman Donna Frye said. “We need a legal opinion.”
Councilwoman Toni Atkins agreed, saying that the council should consult the city attorney.
Councilman Jim Madaffer called the proposals “nuisance fees.”
“It doesn’t do a lot of good to nickel and dime the public,” he said.
Despite the skepticism, the committee favored charging residents $12 for new automated trash containers, with Frye saying the charge “was not unreasonable.”
Jay Goldstone, the city’s chief financial officer, said no new fees or increased fees are part of the fiscal year 2008 budget to be presented to the City Council in April.