County May Boost Charges at Beaches, Parks : Budget: Park entry fee of $2 per vehicle is said to be among the state’s lowest. To help offset an expected revenue shortfall, officials are also studying ending $248,000 in annual city lifeguard subsidies.

At a time when residents are flocking to Orange County’s beaches and parks to escape the summer heat, county officials are considering plans to increase parking and entry fees to keep pace with rising maintenance costs.

Budget shortfalls, estimated this year at nearly $1 million, could also force the county to eliminate $248,000 in payments that the county makes yearly to cities to subsidize the cost of staffing beaches throughout the county with lifeguards.

The lifeguard payments to Seal Beach, Laguna Beach, Newport Beach and San Clemente are guaranteed for at least the next two years, but any attempt to phase them out is not sitting well with some city officials.

“We would be hurt by that, definitely,” said Tony Melum, deputy director of Newport Beach’s Marine Department, which receives nearly $100,000 per year in lifeguard subsidies. “Our main concern is to get (lifeguards) on the beach and the city has been in a budget reduction mode in the past three years.”

Officials of the county Environmental Management Agency’s harbors, beaches and parks division expressed their budget concerns Tuesday as part of an annual financial review of the division presented to the Board of Supervisors. Officials provided no estimates of how much the entrance and parking fees could be raised, if at all, and it was not immediately known when the matter could be scheduled for consideration by the board.

Supervisor Gaddi H. Vasquez said the local entry charge to county parks--$2 per vehicle--is among the lowest in California and could be helping to attract more visitors, resulting in more “wear and tear” on park properties.

Gil Scofield, Environmental Management Agency deputy financial manager, said the county’s $2 entry charge is at least $2 less than comparable fees charged by the state and the counties of Riverside, San Bernardino and Sacramento.

The charge is especially hard to ignore, officials said, when overall revenue has declined by $4.5 million since 1991-1992.

“I think we’re reaching a point now where we’re not able to continue the simple maintenance needed to keep the parks in shape,” Vasquez said. “Because of our excellent facilities and low cost, people are choosing to come here. We need to get out there and see how we can maximize our revenues.”

Vasquez said the county might consider fee increases during peak summer weekends and holidays to take advantage of the larger crowds.

Orange County operates three harbors, eight public beaches, 16 parks, two nature preserves, six historical sites and more than 100 miles of recreational trails.

“When you get done paying expenses with the revenues available, there just isn’t much left for new construction or other needs,” Scofield said. “We have to adjust our priorities. To do that, we are going to do a fee study and it will be up to the (Board of Supervisors) after that.”

On recent weekends, Scofield and Newport Beach’s Melum said, parks and beaches have been packed with visitors.

“Because of the down economy, and because it’s already been a hot summer, I think we are seeing people who are looking for a cheaper way to recreate,” Melum said. “The crowds have been unusually large.”