BREA : Council to Consider Proposed Fee Hikes

Proposed fee hikes for water use and street sweeping will be considered by the City Council when it meets at 7 tonight.

Citing an independent financial analysis, city staff members are recommending that water rates be increased from $1.18 per hundred cubic feet to $1.38. For typical Brea homeowners, this would translate to a $4 monthly hike.

One reason for the proposed increase is that starting July 1, Brea must pay an additional $31 per acre foot for water purchased from the Metropolitan Water District of Orange County. The district currently supplies 70% of Brea’s water.

The council is expected to consider increasing the residential street sweeping rate by 21 cents per month. This hike would be partly offset by a proposed decrease of 10 cents per month for residential trash collection.

Businesses in Brea are facing a possible 12% monthly hike in street sweeping rates and a 2.25% raise in trash-disposal costs.

Also on the council agenda is a draft zoning ordinance amendment intended to encourage preservation of local historic structures and objects.

If approved, the amendment would establish a historic register, similar to the National Register of Historic Places, that would help Brea receive state or federal funding for preservation projects.

The ordinance also calls for a review process that would be invoked when alterations are proposed to historic structures. Minor alterations would be considered by city staff members, while major alterations, including demolition, would be reviewed by the Planning Commission.

Property owners would be given a series of incentives to preserve historic structures under the ordinance. These could include property tax deductions, technical assistance from preservation professionals, and grants or loans for rehabilitating structures.