Proposed Surcharge Arouses Suspicion

Wary of a creating new tax on telephone users, the Los Angeles City Council cut short discussion Tuesday of a proposed surcharge that would help maintain the city’s 911 system, agreeing merely to review all funding options.

Voters approved a $235-million bond to upgrade the 911 system in 1992, but Los Angeles Police Department officials have said the money will not cover ongoing improvements as the emergency network ages.

Last month, the LAPD asked the council to support statewide legislation that would allow the city to levy a surcharge on monthly phone bills to cover the upgrades. It was the third such request since the bond measure passed.

The council’s Intergovernmental Relations Committee approved a plan to gather more information about the issue, but when the seemingly routine request for further study hit the council chambers, the mere mention of a surcharge sparked debate.

Councilmen Joel Wachs angrily denounced the surcharge proposal as “subterfuge,” saying: “All this is is a way to raise the current utility tax . . . without having to go to the voters” for approval.

Councilwoman Laura Chick suggested an amendment to simply instruct city analysts to review all potential revenue sources for 911 improvements--and delete any mention of the controversial surcharge.

The council then adopted the committee report as amended.