Anaheim OKs Fee to Put Call Boxes Along Freeways

The Anaheim City Council on Tuesday unanimously approved a surcharge to finance emergency freeway call boxes, clearing the way for the placing of boxes throughout Orange County by next year.

Anaheim became the 21st city in the county to approve the $1 surcharge on motor vehicle registrations to pay for 550 emergency phones every half-mile along county freeways.

The county’s five other cities are expected to adopt similar resolutions by March 11.

Surcharge May Begin in April

The $1-per-vehicle surcharge probably will begin in April, said James S. Kenan, finance and administration director for the Orange County Transportation Commission.

State law requires approval by cities that together account for a majority of Orange County’s population before officials can proceed with the project.

Anaheim is the county’s most populous city, and its council’s vote means, in effect, that representatives of a majority of the county’s 2.1 million residents have approved the program. Despite the unanimous vote, some of the council’s five members expressed strong reservations about the program.

Councilman Ben Bay complained that Orange County vehicle owners will be charged directly for the service while Los Angeles County pays for its call boxes out of the general fund.

“I’m a little sick of this county always having to come up with a new revenue source,” Bay said. “Orange County (is) not getting a fair shake.”

And Councilman E. Llewellyn Overholt Jr.noted that use of the county’s freeways “are not limited to . . . people who own cars and live in Orange County.”

Others also questioned whether the $1 charge will be permanent and asked why the California Highway Patrol provides dispatch services in Los Angeles at no extra charge but plans to charge Orange County $220,000 annually.

Kenan said: “We are concerned about that difference in treatment.”

Legislation requires counties to form a Service Authority for Freeway Emergencies to implement the call-box program. The Orange County Transportation Commission plans to act as the special authority and will convene in that capacity March 10.

Legislation authorizing the $1 assessment statewide took effect Jan. 1 and is expected to generate $1.6 million a year. A complete call-box system is estimated to cost about $3 million.