O.C. Supervisors Studying New Ways to Pay for Harbor Patrols

The Orange County Board of Supervisors Tuesday ordered its staff to look into raising boaters’ fees and other harbor charges after a grand jury questioned why the county was footing the bill for nearly $10 million in harbor patrol services each year.

The county’s Harbors, Beaches and Parks division picks up the brunt of the patrol budget, with the special tidelands fund picking up a sliver of the costs from dock leases at the three harbors patrolled -- Dana Point, Newport Beach and Huntington Harbour.

The division’s money should pay for “ballparks and better parks for all residents,” instead of those who can afford boats or homes in Newport Beach and other harbor cities, said Supervisor Chris Norby, whose inland district includes Fullerton, Brea and other northeastern county cities.

In June, the Orange County Grand Jury report said that out of a $67-million yearly budget for Harbors, Beaches and Parks, the county had siphoned $7.5 million to pay the county’s bankruptcy debt and had weakened the system with other fund diversions, such as harbor patrol. Since 1995, $62 million of the debt has been paid with funds that otherwise could have gone for other park services.

After the report was released, Norby proposed charging coastal cities San Clemente, Dana Point, Laguna Beach, Newport Beach, Huntington Beach and Seal Beach for the patrol service that includes fire protection, boat regulation enforcement and educational programming. He said his district needed better parks and more park funds.

After it became evident that his proposal would be defeated, Norby changed it Tuesday and introduced a new one that would pay harbor patrol services from the county’s general fund to free $6.5 million for parks. That idea did not have enough support either.

After nearly an hour of debate, the supervisors voted 3 to 2 to study the issue.

During the debate, Norby argued the county “shouldn’t raid its park funds” to pay for marine services.

Supervisor Lou Correa, whose district includes central county cities such as Santa Ana, supported Norby’s motion and then joined him in voting against studying funding options for the harbor patrol.

Tom Wilson and Jim Silva, supervisors whose districts include the three harbors, persuaded Chairman Bill Campbell, who was the swing vote, that a proposal to charge coastal cities was premature.

“The problem of deferred maintenance and adequate staffing for parks must be addressed,” Wilson said. “But first we need to work with finding creative solutions like seeking partnerships with coastal cities.”

Wilson and Silva also argued that funding for the harbors should be borne to some extent by the county because harbors fill a regional recreational need.

Wilson also suggested the county review fees for impounding boats, mooring and boat registration fees.

Wilson said the study would be done in time to find new funding alternatives for the division when the county takes up strategic financial planning in November.

At Newport Harbor, visiting boaters pay $5 a night to moor, which is considerably less than the $21 a night that small boats are charged at Avalon Harbor on Catalina Island, said Sheriff’s Capt. Deana Bergquist, Newport harbormaster.

Disabled boats are towed free, said Bergquist. If mooring fees at Newport Harbor were increased to $20 each night, it could add another $146,800 for the county each year, Bergquist said.