COSTA MESA : 10 Police Dept. Fees Raised by Council

The City Council this week raised 10 Police Department fees and charges, affecting matters ranging from tickets for drunk driving involving accidents to the cost of obtaining police reports. But the council postponed action on a proposal to raise dozens of other city fees such as those for building permits.

“I don’t think we are ready to raise fees,” Councilman Joe Erickson said. The council agreed to reconsider the fee hikes early next year during the initial budget discussions.

The proposal to raise fees was suggested in September as a way to beef up city coffers. If the entire plan was adopted, the city finance staff estimated, it would boost revenue by $1.5 million a year.

Anything that involves city staff time is a potential target for either a new or increased charge under the proposal. Some of the new fees suggested include charging groups who want to put up street banners to advertise and charging for street closures.

The council on Monday singled out only the 10 Police Department charges, which will go into effect Feb. 1.

Under the plan, drunk drivers involved in accidents will be fined $1,000, up from $326. Sex and drug offenders will have to pay $65 to register as such, and people who want copies of their police report will have to pay $20.

Another proposal not yet decided would charge residents and businesses $145 for false alarms.

If adopted as suggested, increased fees in the Police Department alone could result in more than $790,000 in new income to the city.

However, how much the city will eventually charge will not be decided until next year. City Manager Allan L. Roeder said the council will begin preliminary budget discussions as early as next month.

New Fees

The City Council this week approved fee increases for services and other functions provided by the Police Department. The following new charges will take effect Feb. 1.:

Service Current Fee New Fee DUI accident $326 $1,000 Photograph 10 20 Fingerprinting 5 12 Police report copy 5 20 Clearance letter 5 20 Registrant drug/sex offender 0 65 Jail booking fee/city 0 35 Jail booking fee/county 0 158 Vehicle impound/storage private 0 20 Vehicle impound/storage public 0 35

Source: City of Costa Mesa