County Puts Off Action on El Toro Utility Error

County officials Friday postponed action on a utility rate error at the closed El Toro Marine base that forced a day-care center to close and could affect all businesses leasing space at the base.

The nonprofit Community Day Preschool at El Toro closed two weeks ago after its monthly electric bill increased to $5,000 from $1,000 because of a consultant’s miscalculation of energy costs. The parents of 86 children had to make other arrangements.

There are few electric meters on the old base, and tenants have been charged for electricity based on estimates of power usage.

The Orange County Board of Supervisors had planned to announce a decision on the matter Friday. But Board Chairwoman Cynthia P. Coad said it is too complicated to be resolved quickly.

“This has to be examined to see where the glitch is,” Coad said.

The utility rate will affect current and future businesses leasing space at El Toro, including Cal State Fullerton, which has signed a 10-year lease to open a satellite campus in a building that once housed the Air Wing Headquarters.

“The Cal State Fullerton building isn’t metered, and the base housing isn’t metered,” Coad said. “It’s difficult because there are only three meters in all of El Toro. We’re trying to find out how much each tenant of each building would use.”