Whittier : Board Drops Fee in Wake of Property Owner Suits

The school board quietly chose this week not to renew a controversial fee on property owners because of a lawsuit challenging the fee. The trustees allowed the deadline for preparing this year’s fee to pass without taking action at Tuesday’s board meeting.

Proceeds from the fee would have been used to improve and maintain tennis and basketball courts, stadiums, auditoriums and other facilities in the Whittier Union High School District. Last year’s fee brought in $1.4 million but also resulted in a lawsuit filed by three area residents along with the Howard Jarvis Taxpayers Assn. and the Apartment Assn. of Greater Los Angeles. They claimed that the district had imposed an illegal property tax. District officials said the fee is legal and a fair method for the public to contribute to the upkeep of facilities it uses.

Until the matter is settled, a majority of board members said recently that they were unwilling to approve the fee again. The district faces uncertain legal costs and spent about $114,000 on consulting services to impose last year’s fee. The cost for renewing the fee would be about $40,000, Assistant Supt. Lowell Shira said.