Parking meter rates and citations could cost more to help pay for more police

Raising parking meter rates and boosting fines for parking citations and other code violations are among the ways Huntington Beach is considering raising revenue to pay for additional police officers.

City Finance Director Lori Ann Farrell Harrison told City Council members last week that the proposed municipal budget for the 2015-16 fiscal year aims to fund 216 officers, nine more than in 2012-13.

However, increasing fines and the price to park at meters in the downtown area could fund five additional officers, bringing the total to 221, Harrison said.

The Police Department currently is funded for 214 officers.

Mayor Pro Tem Jim Katapodis worked with Police Chief Robert Handy to create a proposal for fee and fine increases that council members will discuss during their meeting Monday. If it is approved, the plan would be included in the city budget, which is scheduled to go into effect Oct. 1.

Katapodis and Councilman Billy O’Connell said the growing city needs more officers.

When asked by O’Connell whether 221 officers would be enough, Handy said it would be a “step in the right direction.”

“I’d like to see us eventually continue to increase to get somewhere back in the neighborhood of where we were before … 237 officers. But I do think this is a very substantial increase,” Handy said. “It would certainly help us considerably.”

The police force shrank as the city tightened its belt during the national recession following the 2008 financial crisis.

Handy said Wednesday that the additional officers would be put on patrol, either in cars or on foot, depending on the need at a given time.

Should Huntington Beach decide to increase parking meter rates from $1.50 an hour to $1.75 an hour, as proposed, it could make an additional $380,000 from May through August, Harrison said. The proposed rate increase would affect the meters on Main Street, Pacific Coast Highway and Beach Boulevard, in residential areas and at Huntington Dog Beach and Pier Plaza, she said.

The fine for an expired meter would rise from $48 to $58, and the penalty for parking at a handicap ramp would go from $55 to $356.

Fines for municipal code violations such as consuming alcohol, smoking or having a glass container on the beach; drinking in a public location; and skateboarding in the downtown area would increase from $125 to $175, which could bring in about $85,000 more in revenue, Harrison said.

But Councilman Erik Peterson said raising fees actually could lead to lower revenue by deterring violations.

“If you want to hire people, we need to work within our budget, which I know is tight,” he said.

Officials believe the city also could use $250,000 in grant money for a DUI officer and save about $295,000 by purchasing a fire ladder truck instead of leasing for five years.

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Decrease in violent crime; increase in property crime

Handy briefed council members last week on Huntington Beach crime statistics from January through July and compared them with the same period in 2014.

Violent crimes have decreased, though overall crime has gone up, he said.

This year, 27 rapes (down from 32 a year earlier) and 136 aggravated assaults (down from 144) have been reported. No homicides have occurred this year, compared with one in the same period in 2014.

However, property crimes have increased by about 12%, with 2,163 thefts (up by 184), 438 burglaries (up by 79) and 221 stolen vehicles (up by 52), Handy said.

The north and south areas of the city have seen increases in property crimes, with 1,478 in the north (a rise of 303) and 1,127 in the south (an increase of 69), Handy said.

The downtown area has been the scene of 36 violent crimes (three fewer than last year) and 228 property crimes (47 fewer), he said.

Handy said a shift toward early release of prisoners as well as the recent passage of Proposition 47, which reduced nonviolent property and drug crimes from felonies to misdemeanors, have played a role in the increase in overall crime.

“We are dealing with that population now that they’re no longer in the system and out in our streets,” he said. “We believe that’s a significant part of the increase.”

In addition to increasing staffing, Handy said he plans to continue to use social media as a crime-prevention tool and realign specialty officers to different beats.