SAN CLEMENTE : Council to Weigh 23% Increase in Park Maintenance Fees

The City Council will consider a 23% increase in the fees residents pay for the restoration of city parks and beaches.

The council set in motion Wednesday the plans for the increased assessment, despite objections from several residents. Opponents argued the increase would be an unfair burden to taxpayers, especially when combined with another proposed levy the council might impose to pay for a new street rehabilitation program.

“It’s not equitable,” resident Harold White told the council. The added taxes will go mostly toward the repair of the Ole Hanson Beach Club roof, sewer upgrades at Vista Bahia Park, restoration of the Avenida Valencia median and improvements at the Bonita Canyon Park playground.

A single-family household now pays $70.06 yearly in fees to the district for landscaping and the upkeep of beaches, parks and street lights. The council’s proposal would hike the levy to $86.19, an increase of $16.13.

The council said the fees have not been increased since 1991, despite the addition of two parks and a three-mile ridgeline trail in the past five years. That has increased maintenance costs, forcing the council to hold off on other construction projects.