Jail time could become cheaper

The price of a stay at the Newport Beach jail could get cheaper, but the cost of basic life support in a city ambulance would go up under a proposed city ordinance to adjust what residents pay for a number of services.

The Newport Beach City Council will consider an ordinance Tuesday that would raise fees on everything from city permits for day care facilities and reserving spots at local parks for picnics, but also reduce what residents pay for some services.

“It’s all over the board in terms of fees going up and going down,” said Glen Everroad, revenue manager for Newport Beach.

Booking fees at Newport’s municipal jail would drop from $200 to $183 under the ordinance.

“It’s going to get a little cheaper to go to jail, but I hope they don’t see an increase in business,” Everroad said.

Under the proposed fee adjustments, the cost of basic life support in an ambulance will be set at $227, a slight increase from $192.

The cost of an ambulance ride for a Newport resident would go from $291 to $338.

The goal of the ordinance is to make sure people are paying only for the services they use, and not subsidizing other city services with their tax money, said Newport Beach City Manager Homer Bludau.

“I think it is a fairness issue,” Bludau said. “We have a lot of permits and services that are only used by certain people.

“The question is, should all of the people who don’t use the service pay for people who do?”

Residents also can expect to see lower prices for about 50 different city services, Bludau said.

The cost of a bike license in Newport Beach would drop from $4 to $2 under the ordinance.

The price of checking maps with the city’s public works department would plummet from $850 to $340.

The ordinance comes on the heels of a city-commissioned study released earlier this year that found Newport Beach should be charging residents about $5.6 million more per year in fees on everything from building permits to adult softball programs.

The city’s costs for services rose from $86 million in 2001 to $132 million in 2007, and the city’s fees have not been adjusted to keep pace, according to information from the Newport Beach City Council finance committee.

The fee adjustments the city hopes to impose won’t quite add up to that much money, Everroad said.

Many increases would be staggered over time to reduce the impact of rising prices, he added.

If the ordinance passes, residents could begin seeing many fee increases implemented by this fall, he said.

PROPOSED FEE CHANGES

DOG LICENSE: $4 per month, up from $1.50 per month

ADULT-ORIENTED BUSINESS PERMIT: $1,030, down from $1,406

SHORT-TERM LODGING PERMIT: $88, up from $0

LIVE ENTERTAINMENT PERMIT: $215, up from $141

OXYGEN DURING EMERGENCY AMBULANCE TRANSPORT: $76, up from $65.50

BRIANNA BAILEY may be reached at (714) 966-4625 or at brianna.bailey@latimes.com.