Supervisors ok higher fees for park, beach use : budget: the plan to sharply increase charges for parking, camping and other services generated no public complaints.

SANTA ANA — Faced with no public opposition, the Board of Supervisors on Tuesday unanimously approved sharp increases in dozens of service fees charged at county parks, beaches and harbors.

Although the new fee schedule doubles and in some cases more than triples charges for parking, camping and other services, the plan generated no complaints and even some praise from anti-tax

activists who are often quick to criticize the county on financial matters. “I’m much less resistant to a fee increase than to a tax,” said Bruce Whitaker, a leader of the Committees of

Correspondence, a government watchdog group. “It’s better to have users pay more for the services they receive . . . than have non-users subsidize them.” The new charges are the latest of

several fee hikes the county has adopted since its Dec. 6 bankruptcy filing. The goal behind most of the increases is to generate new revenue and recover more, if not all, of the costs

associated with providing the services. Last summer, the Board of Supervisors approved a series of increases in library fines for overdue books, damaged materials and title searches. It also

significantly increased dumping fees at the county’s three landfills for both trash haulers and individuals with smaller loads. Charges for parcel map processing, parking in county-owned

lots and some types of voter information were also increased, as was the fine for delinquent tax payments. The county has considered--but so far not approved--increases in abandoned-vehicle

fees and fines for bounced checks it receives. The park fee schedule adopted Tuesday is expected to generate an extra $800,000 a year for the harbors, beaches and parks division and is the

first across-the-board increase in nearly a decade. Still, the new charges will only cover 22% of the $12.9 million it costs to operate the facilities. Officials said the new schedule is

needed to make up for $80 million in revenue being diverted from the division over the next 20 years to aid the county’s bankruptcy recovery. The parks division also experienced a one-time

cash loss of $10 million when the county’s investment pool collapsed last year. The new fees, which take effect Jan. 1, will be felt from county beaches to inland wilderness parks. The

holiday fee for vehicle entry at county parks will jump from $2 to between $5 and $10, while the county will begin charging a $1 admission to the Orange County Zoo. Admission is now free.

Beach parking fees will jump from 75 cents an hour to $1 an hour, and regular camping charges will rise from $10 to $12. Nonetheless, the fees remain in line with those charged by other

counties, said Bob Fisher, director of the parks division. Golf course fees and most boat slip rents were not increased because private operators run those facilities under long-term leases

with the county, Fisher said. The operators, not the county, are responsible for setting fees. Supervisors on Tuesday praised Fisher and his staff for providing high-quality recreational

services despite tight budgets. Supervisor William G. Steiner said support for the new schedule by groups that use county facilities demonstrates that residents are willing to pay more to

keep county parks and beaches open and well-maintained. Steiner and other officials said the county only considers raising fees after careful examination. Many of the new charges were first

reviewed by a special county committee before being forwarded to the Board of Supervisors, officials said. The county is also looking into the possibility of increasing the amount it charges

some jail inmates in an attempt to recover more of its costs. MORE TO READ