Council overturns vote on fee hikes

The Costa Mesa City Council on Tuesday voted unanimously to overturn its recent decision to charge residents extra fees when they are taken to the hospital for medical emergencies.

The council also rejected the fire department’s proposals to charge business and apartment owners fire inspection fees, which the department believed would help the city offset a steep decline in sales-tax revenue.

The proposals weren’t a large part of the city’s strategy to make up a projected $19-million shortfall in next year’s budget, but their rejection leaves about $900,000 for which the council must compensate in the coming weeks to balance the budget.

In May, the paramedic fees passed, 3 to 2, with Mayor Allan Mansoor, Councilwoman Katrina Foley and Councilman Gary Monahan voting for them. Mayor Pro Tem Wendy Leece and Councilman Eric Bever voted against them.

The three supporters changed their minds at Tuesday’s hearing, saying that they had overlooked important aspects of the proposal. The item was put back on the agenda by Bever, who wanted to see more community feedback.

More than a dozen residents came to speak out against the proposal, saying that it would discourage injured people from dialing 911, it would create fees that wouldn’t be covered by many insurance plans, and that it would force residents to pay for a service that they paid for with tax dollars.

Mansoor, Foley and Monahan said initially that, among other things, the fees represented a sign of goodwill to the city staff members who will have to deal with layoffs and pay cuts under the council-approved plan to balance the budget.

“I’ve been beat up quite a bit over this the last month,” Monahan said of his previous decision. “We have tried to find ways to get our budget in gear, and I think I was too focused on that last time this came up.”

The medical emergency fees would have earned the city about $540,000 in new revenue, fire officials estimated.

The business and apartment inspection fees would have earned $360,000 and $14,000, respectively.

Businesses are already inspected by the fire department, and apartment buildings will be inspected too starting in July because of a state mandate, according to Fire Marshal Gregg Steward.

The cost of the inspections will continue to be borne by the city and not passed on to the business and apartment owners because the proposals were rejected.

The apartment inspection fee failed, 4 to 1, with Foley voting for it. The business inspection fee failed, 3 to 2, with Leece and Foley voting for it.

The council did approve a proposal to increase a variety of fire department fees related to new construction to bring them closer in line with other surrounding cities.