Council Hikes Service Fees

The City Council on Tuesday raised the fee for annual parking meter permits and the penalty for paying parking tickets late.

The council rejected a controversial fee for placing a book on hold at the library but did raise the one for failing to pick up a held book from 50 cents to $2.

The increasing fees are the result of the city's effort to increase revenue during financial hard times.

Library Director Jean Scully had proposed a 50-cent fee to request that a checked- out book be held upon its return, but the idea was opposed by a North Redondo Beach couple who claimed the fee would disproportionately affect residents from their part of town, particularly the less mobile.

The north branch library has significantly fewer titles than the main library, resident Mark Polak told the council, and when someone requests that a book from the main library be transferred to the north branch, it would be considered a hold and thus subject to the 50-cent fee.

Children who do reports for school often must check out multiple books, which will quickly add up to several dollars in hold fees for North Redondo residents, said Polak's wife, Grace Peng.

"This isn't fair," she said.

Most of the council members were sympathetic to the couple's view.

"A lot more kids live in North Redondo," said Mayor Michael Gin.

The library software cannot distinguish between a request to place a book on hold and one to transfer it to another branch, Scully said.

Despite the objections, City Councilman Steve Aspel favored the hold fee.

"It's kind of frustrating to hear what's fair," Aspel said. "It's still a branch library."

In addition to raising the fee for failure to pick up a held book, the council also approved a $100 fire department fee for people who receive emergency paramedic services but refuse to be transported to the hospital. Out of 5,200 calls for service, about 400 patients do not go to the hospital after receiving treatment.

When paramedics transfer someone to a hospital, the hospital reimburses the city for some of its paramedic expenses, but when no transfer is made and the patient is uninsured, the city bears the entire cost. More and more people don't have health coverage, said Fire Chief Dan Madrigal, and they are using the city's emergency services as a healthcare system.

Parking meter permits will increase $5 to $80. Late fees on parking tickets that have been sent to collections will rise from $27 to $85.

The council also approved a $2 fee when signing up for any city recreation program.