Who should foot bill?

More than $30 million in budget cuts by county leaders this week has led officials to reevaluate whether the county should make the cities pay for the sheriff’s harbor patrolling.

With declining tax revenue in a slumping economy, Orange County supervisors said they are dusting off the books and reevaluating everywhere the county could save money, including long-standing expenditures like harbor patrol for beach cities.

Fourth District county Supervisor Chris Norby argues that Newport Beach and Huntington Beach should pay the annual $6.6 million it costs for the sheriff to patrol their waters. Unlike Dana Point’s harbor, these two harbors are not county land, he said. He spoke specifically about Newport Harbor on Wednesday.

“The harbor is completely within the city limits of Newport Beach. Anything that is completely within the city limits, is that city’s responsibility,” he said. “If the city wants to pay for the service, and contract the service, then we’d be happy to do it.”

He said since the economy began to tank, he’s found support from previously resistant colleagues. Supervisor John Moorlach, who represents Newport Beach and Huntington Beach, said he would first like to talk to sheriff’s officials and city leaders. He did point out the realities of the county’s finances, though.

“Deputy sheriffs are very expensive people. They’ve priced themselves so high with their salaries and benefits, and the costs are only going up. It seems we can probably find a cheaper solution somewhere else,” he said. “I was told yesterday that I have 500 people, need 500 people for the jails. Overall, if I can give the harbor patrol to the cities and maybe an outside service and move deputies to the jails,” that may be worth exploring.

Newport Beach Assistant City Manager Dave Kiff said any decision would have to be approved by the City Council, but any notion of the county just billing the city was the wrong approach.

“I think it’s a non-starter to say we’d ever just cut a check and pay for the service. That’s not how we do it...if the strings are, the county sends us a bill and we pay for it, that’s not going to work,” Kiff said. “We’d probably send the bill back.”

There is room for negotiation, though, county and city officials said, including that if sheriffs continue to patrol Newport Beach waters, maybe the level of service could be reduced. Harbor patrol officials did not return calls for comment. Moorlach said in the past, when questions of who should patrol the harbor were raised, what he calls “opening Pandora’s Box,” sheriffs unions have always fought to maintain “their turf.”

“We’ve been down this road a little bit and things pop out of nowhere,” Moorlach said. “The tentacles of union power and all the facets of the discussion all come out when you begin this discussion.”

JOSEPH SERNA may be reached at (714) 966-4619 or at joseph.serna@latimes.com.