Brea : Weed Removal Charge to Be Lower Next Year

The fee for weed removal will go down next year in Brea while the cost of joining city sponsored sports leagues will rise under an ordinance approved Tuesday to readjust fees for services provided by the Fire and Community Services departments.

The city council approved the ordinance 5 to 0 after a review of existing programs in those departments in March.

Brea city spokeswoman Bonnie Dwyer said the council examined existing fees for each program, the level of city subsidy as well as the cost-recovery target for each program and whether the target was met.

The biggest drop in fees will be in the Fire Department’s weed abatement program. Service costs will drop from $713 to $447, Dwyer said.

Youth baseball fees will rise from $21 to $25. The cost of joining an adult basketball league will increase from $340 to $360 and co-ed adult volleyball will go from $140 to $165.

The fee to swim in public pools will remain the same even though the program had not met its target of 25% cost recovery. The council voted to increase the amount of support for the program, but it also decided to raise fees for swimming lessons from $15 to $18, Dwyer said.

The city’s Tiny Tots and Day Care programs also were slated for small increases in fees, she said.

The fire and community services programs were the first ones reviewed by the council in its annual process, Dwyer said. The council is reviewing the fees and the cost of programs in the Police, Maintenance and Development Services departments, she said.