News: Ventura City proposal for 911 Tax - $50 per call

Editorial: Time for a recall and a new chief in Ventura?

The City of Ventura is proposing a large 911 tax under the guise of a fee, This will cause increased property damages during fires, reduced response times to medical emergencies, and sooner or later deaths will be directly attributed to this foolish, greedy plan which will cause people to think twice and wait longer before placing emergency assistance calls.

If I was a member of the Ventura community I would be organizing a recall today for members of the Ventura city council and the police chief who came up with this selfish harebrained idea which directly benefits the chief and his department. "I don't see anyone not calling 911 because of the $50 fee," said Police Chief Pat Miller, Who is obviously out of touch with his citizens who do not make the outlandish pay the chief does and worry about putting food on the table. This Tax will directly affect the poor and middle class poor who need the fifty bucks desperately unlike the overpaid chief.

I have a better idea an immediate 25% pay cut across the board for all upper managers in the City of Ventura, and a end to overtime abuse by city employee's, stating the obvious that all overtime request to be approved ahead of time by the city manager! A longer equipment replacement plan would help too. Do the police really need new cars every two years? I would like to see these cars ran into the ground before replacement! And no sir your officers do not need the newest light bar or other fancy gadget on the market each year use those old light bars laying around the city yard.

Email the Ventura police Chief

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Dialing 911 in Ventura could cost you $50 per call, under a new city's proposal to recoup emergency dispatching costs and free up money to hire police officers and firefighters.

The Ventura City Council on Monday will consider approving a monthly "Emergency Services Access" fee to be collected on local cellular and land-line telephone bills. The council meets at 7 p.m. at City Hall, 501 Poli St.

In a revised version of the proposal, residents would have a choice: pay a flat $1.49 monthly fee on each phone line they own for unlimited 911 service, or $50 every time they call 911. The $50 charge could be the first of its kind in California.

Exemptions to the $50 fee would be granted for those reporting a crime or calling 911 on behalf of someone else for incidents such as a traffic accident or house fire. Low-income residents enrolled in the state's discount "LifeLine" service also would be exempt.

"I don't see anyone not calling 911 because of the $50 fee," said Police Chief Pat Miller, adding that he believed residents would appreciate having a choice of plans.

With an estimated 158,000 eligible phone lines, the city could recoup $2 million to $2.5 million of the $3.3 million it currently pays annually for 911 services, officials said. That would free money to hire police officers and firefighters.

Several Northern California cities charge monthly fees for 911 service, although some have been invalidated by judges who ruled they were essentially taxes that needed voter approval.

Ventura's ordinance would be the first in the state to give customers a choice, enhancing its legal defensibility, said its author, City Attorney Ariel Calonne.

Because the fee would pay for a specific city service, Calonne argued it would not be considered a tax and therefore not require voter approval.

"This is a creative way to add public safety in a horrible economy," he said. "I'm proud of it. This is not money being flushed into administrative overhead."

If approved, the fee would take effect May 1. The fee would continue indefinitely and could be adjusted annually for inflation by the City Council.

To pay on a per-call basis, residents would have to complete a city-provided form within 60 days of May 1. Customers could revert back to the monthly fee at any time, as long as they have paid off any outstanding debts