PORT HUENEME : Council Raises Fees on Range of Services

Port Hueneme officials have approved increases for beach parking and several other city fees, saying they hope to use the money for beach maintenance and administrative costs.

The City Council voted unanimously Wednesday to increase beach parking fees to recoup the cost of maintaining Hueneme Beach. Daily parking will increase from $4 to $5, and the cost of a yearly parking pass will rise from $60 to $75.

The increased fees are expected to bring the city an additional $31,000 a year in beach maintenance revenues. But Tom Figg, director of community development, said the city will still fall about $160,000 short of the $478,000 it costs to maintain the beach.

The city will also increase building permit fees by 7.5% beginning in July. The city had the option of raising the fees by 40%, as recommended by state building code guidelines. But fearing such an increase would drive developers away, the council decided instead to increase fees the same percentage as the rate of inflation from 1991 to 1994, which is 7.5%.

The council also voted to recalculate the cost of installing water conservation devices in houses and buildings. Developers had complained that individuals who increased the square footage of their buildings by less than 33% were exempt from the installation fees. Under a new plan approved by the council, all builders will pay on the basis of square footage.

The city had not adjusted the fees since 1991.