City Rejects $25,000 for New Patrol Boat

For city officials, there’s definitely no such thing as a free ride.

Despite an offer from an anonymous resident to donate $25,000 to buy a boat to patrol the waterways around Mandalay Bay, city officials turned it down.

It seems the total cost was way too high.

“Having the boat is the easy part,” said Priscilla Hernandez, interim city manager. “Everything associated with the boat is an ongoing expense for the city--and a little too much expense.”

To accept the boat, Hernandez said, the city would have to hire an additional officer at an estimated cost of $100,000 a year.

In addition, money for equipment and maintenance would strain the city’s already tight budget.

And then there are liability issues.

“We’re looking at additional costs and we just don’t have the budget,” said Oxnard Fire Chief Henry Lenhart. “Not that the boat wouldn’t help.”

Mandalay Bay residents have long sought beefed-up patrols of their waterfront neighborhood.

And a boat could have made a difference, they argued. A commercial Boston whaler--equipped with a fire pump--would help fire and police officials navigate the waterways to enforce city codes and put out occasional boat fires.

But when an anonymous donor offered $25,000 toward that purchase, he was mailed a rejection letter.

The rejection is a loss to the city and residents of Mandalay Bay, said William Henry Jr., president of the Channel Islands Waterfront Homeowners Assn.

“There’s something pretty absurd about that,” Henry said. “I think they were looking a gift horse in the mouth.”