Brea : Fire Department Imposes Some Fees
Beginning today, about 1,700 businesses in Brea will have to pay for four Fire Department services they have received free in the past.
Businesses can expect to pay $7.25 for mandatory fire inspections and $49.50 for false fire alarms after the first two, which will remain free. In addition, about 250 to 300 businesses that require hazardous-use monitoring permits will be charged $25.50, Brea Fire Marshal Bud Moody said. The permit is required by businesses such as companies that work with flammable liquids or pesticides.
A fourth service, vacuuming water in case of floods--such as during a plumbing rupture--also would affect the city’s private homes. The charge for flood service will be $43.50 per incident.
The Fire Department plans to continue to provide its emergency services at no extra charge. “But those services above and beyond the emergency service,” Moody said, should be paid for by those “who derive the direct benefit.”
The four service fees should generate about $60,000 each year for the city, said Doug Ayers, a consultant for the city. The money will go toward the general fund, Moody said.
Reaction to the user fees has been mixed, Moody said.
“I’ve had a lot of telephone calls--both positive and negative,” he said.
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