Update : Follow-up on the news : VILLA PARK : City Satisfied Its Fees Aren’t Out of Line

After assurances that its fees are about the same as those of other Orange County cities, Villa Park has approved a new list of costs for permits for activities such as home remodeling and re-roofing, as well as services such as having the city pick up stray animals.

The City Council last month had delayed action on its new fee schedule, which includes some increases, after questions arose about how the charges would compare to those in other municipalities.

At the council’s meeting this week, City Manager Fred Maley said that city staff had compared Villa Park’s new fees with those of nine other Orange County cities, as well as the fees of county government, and found them to be “in line with most other cities.”

Comparisons with Laguna Hills, Dana Point, Irvine, Laguna Beach, Laguna Niguel, Lake Forest, Mission Viejo, Newport Beach and San Juan Capistrano showed that some of those cities charge much higher fees than Villa Park, Maley said, because of unusual situations involving higher costs.