Parking Fines, Library Fees Increased in Mission Viejo

Parking fines and library art fees are some of the increases approved by the City Council this week. The council also decreased some fees, including the cost to advertise on the Mission Viejo Television channel in some cases.

Parking Tickets

All parking violations went up $13. That means parking in front of a fire hydrant will now cost $48 instead of $35. Has your vehicle been sitting for over 72 hours? It'll now cost $53 to pay the ticket, rather than $40.

The increase was a result of a rise in court processing costs the city has to pay, according to city staff. The state and county have raised seven costs. For example, $1.50 for each citation now goes to build new county courthouses.

Library Costs

For the first time this year, artists will have to pay to hang their work in the city's library and community center. The once free service will now cost $20 per application.

Booking the Saddleback Room or the Friend Community Room at the library will also cost $20. This was also a free service previously.

Councilwoman Cathy Schlicht opposed the fee increase. Mayor Dave Leckness and Councilwomen Trish Kelley and Rhonda Reardon supported the library cost increases. Councilman Frank Ury was absent.

"A library is a free service," Schlicht said. "I will be opposing a booking fee and an application fee. I feel that's part of the job you do during the day. I see no reason to raise fees on something that benefits the public."

The mayor disagreed.

"It's just labor-intensive is all it is," Leckness said. "It's not unusual to see (such an increase)."

Animal Services

The council could not come to a decision on raising animal service fees. The city staff recommended a variety of increases, including a new vicious or potentially dangerous dog fee of $300, collected yearly on inspection.

The city does not currently charge for flea control medicine, but the staff recommendation would increase the cost to $10.

No increases to animal services were approved Monday night. Kelley voted for all the increases, but none of the other council members did.

When Leckness moved to keep all fee increases except the cost to residents for relinquishing pets, the motion failed 2-2. Kelley and Leckness supported the motion. Schlicht and Reardon did not.

Schlicht moved for no increase, a motion which died for lack of a second.

City Clerk Fees

The council unanimously approved a decrease in four city clerk fees, including the cost to buy an audio tape of a city council meeting. That used to cost $20, but now will cost $11.

Schlicht disputed the cost to send a PDF file of more than five pages, which costs $2.25-$4.75. City Clerk Karen Hamman said the fee is optional and that printed paper documents were also available.

City Attorney William Curly described the city's PDF service as a "courtesy."

"You could take it out and make everybody come here," he said. "If you don't want to be courteous, you don't have to."

Schlicht called this "almost emotional blackmail."

MVTV Ads

The cost of running an ad on MVTV will now cost $20 per notice, per year instead of $5-$20 per week. The cost decrease once gave a break to residents and non-profit groups, but now they will pay the same fee as businesses.

Leckness said the new cost was too low and suggested increasing the cost of advertising.

Wilberg said this might be considered a special tax.

"That may be a good business fee, but we may have stepped over the line as far as over-taxing," he said.

When staff clarified that each notice would cost $20, Leckness and the rest of the council supported the change.