Thousand Oaks Residents Face Likely Fee Hikes

Water and sewage bills, some builders’ fees and rental charges at the Civic Arts Plaza are expected to rise when the Thousand Oaks City Council tonight votes on a nearly $169-million city budget for the upcoming fiscal year.

The proposed budget is part of a two-year balanced spending plan that also would appropriate $157.5 million for the fiscal year beginning July 1, 2004. Thousand Oaks is moving ahead with its biennial budgeting process despite the uncertainty of future funds from Sacramento. Gov. Gray Davis and lawmakers are trying to determine how best to close a budget gap of almost $35 billion.

“We took the approach that we need to get our budget appropriations in place,” said Deputy City Manager Scott Mitnick. “It’s not unreasonable to anticipate that the state will not solve its budget mess until September or October.” City administrators suspect the state will consider reducing local governments’ share of gasoline taxes, trimming reimbursement of vehicle license fees and withholding property tax proceeds from redevelopment agencies.

Thousand Oaks plans no new programs, services or staffing through June 2005. “We’re putting forward a very cautious spending plan for the next two years,” Mitnick said, adding that the city has saved $1.4 million since instituting a hiring freeze about six months ago.

Among the budget proposals:

* The monthly base fee for water service, which hasn’t increased since July 1992, would go up $1 beginning July 7 to $7.95 for a typical home and another $1 the beginning of the following fiscal year. There are added charges for the actual amount of water used, and those also will increase. The fee hikes are to cover higher costs for employee salaries, retiree medical benefits and property insurance, according to the city.

Public Works Director Don Nelson said the average homeowner would pay about $75 extra over two years for water service, and a similar amount -- either $75 or $80.40 more -- to cover increases in sewer fees.

* Builders of new homes, apartments or condominiums and commercial real estate would pay about 7.4% more in city fees to compensate police for bringing more residents or visitors to the city. The new charges would be $350 per home, $174 per apartment unit or 17 cents per square foot of nonresidential space constructed.

* The council is set to consider increasing its subsidy to operate the theaters at the Civic Arts Plaza by $23,000, to $370,000, raising the rental fees to commercial users by 5% and hiking the charge at an adjacent parking structure by $1 to $7 per event.

City officials analyzed how they would respond if state cutbacks resulted in a 10% decrease in the general fund, which at almost $66.6 million, equals nearly 40% of next fiscal year’s budget.

Law enforcement would take one of the greatest hits, with the potential loss of five deputies, a community service officer and the DARE anti-drug program.

The Sheriff’s Department, which provides police service to Thousand Oaks under contract, estimates it would end one of six 24-hour patrols along with investigations of minor traffic accidents. Police would not respond to burglar alarms except where an actual crime is verified, which happens in about 1% of cases.

In addition, library hours would be reduced, street sweeping would be cut to every other month, $4 million for road and street improvements could be axed, along with various redevelopment projects, including $1.8 million in infrastructure improvements for the site east of the Civil Arts Plaza where the Discovery Center would be located.

The hearings on the budget and fee increases begin at 7 p.m. at the Civic Arts Plaza’s Scherr Forum, 2100 Thousand Oaks Blvd.