SAN CLEMENTE : Facing Opposition, Council Weighs Fee

In the face of apparently growing opposition, the City Council will give final consideration Wednesday to a proposed new fee on property owners that would raise about $1.9 million annually for street repairs.

As of Monday afternoon, more than 500 property owners--about 2% of the city’s voters--had registered their opposition at City Hall to the proposed fee, which would cost the average homeowner about $130 a year. More protests are expected, city officials said.

It would take a protest by 25% of the approximately 25,000 registered voters in the city by Wednesday evening to push the issue into a citywide vote, officials said.

At a public hearing on the issue in late June, more than 100 people crowded into the City Council chambers, most in opposition to the proposed fee. During the hearing, many urged the city to find other ways to pay for much-needed street repairs, whether it be from loans to reserve funds or through additional budget cuts.

“We want the council to take a longer look at possible cuts instead of just throwing new taxes our way,” said John Koch, who along with the San Clemente Homeowners Assn. and Citizens for a Better San Clemente recently sent protest forms to many residents throughout the community.

A final public hearing on the proposed street fee will start at 7 p.m. Wednesday at the City Council chambers, 100 Avenida Presidio.

Council members Joseph Anderson, Scott Diehl and Candace Haggard said Monday that they would make their final decision following the public hearing.

“It’s a real problem, and I don’t know what the answer is,” Haggard said. “If we put off a decision, the situation will just get worse. It truly is a matter of pay more now or pay a lot more later.”

“We’ve kind of reached the point of no return,” Diehl said. “I’m hearing the message of ‘no new taxes,’ but I’m also hearing the message of ‘thank goodness you’re doing something’ ” about the streets.

Mayor Truman Benedict said at a previous meeting that he would oppose the fee. Councilman Tom Lorch said Monday that he too will oppose the fee, calling it “inequitable” because owners of rental properties would pay more than other business and commercial property owners.

Under the proposed Street Overlay and Replacement District, which would raise up to $1.9 million annually for road work on both major and residential streets, homeowners on public streets would pay fees of up to $130 per year. Those on private streets, who already pay fees to homeowner associations for road repairs, would pay up to $33 annually to cover a share of projects on major streets.