Home › News › Local News
911 fee will be charged starting in July
More than 27,000 phones are on pay-per-call list, not monthly billing
Download this story as a podcast!
STORY TOOLS 
More from Local NewsTelephone users in Ventura won't be charged a new monthly fee for 911 emergency service until July at the earliest, city treasury officials said Wednesday.
City workers continued Wednesday to input thousands of handwritten requests by residents who elected to avoid the $1.49 per phone number monthly fee and instead pay $17.88 per 911 call. Tuesday was the deadline to apply for the per-call option.
In all, more than 27,000 phone numbers — about a sixth of the estimated cellular and land lines eligible for the fee — are registered for the per-call option, according to an unofficial tally.
The monthly fee, imposed by the City Council without voter approval, will help the city recoup costs for its $3.3 million emergency communications center, freeing money to hire additional public safety personnel and put officers back on high school campuses.
In February, Ventura became the first city in Southern California to approve such a fee.
While the monthly fee officially took effect Tuesday, AT&T, Verizon, T-Mobile and other telephone service providers have been instructed to start collecting it July 1, city Treasury Manager Kaye Mirabelli said.
The city promised to send the providers a list of all the exempted telephone lines by June 1, she said.
The deadline to opt out of the monthly fee was midnight Tuesday, and the city has agreed to honor any form postmarked by Tuesday, she said.
Some anti-tax organizations are mulling a legal challenge against the fee. They are waiting for the fee to appear on residents' phone bills before moving forward.
The exact language of how the fee will be listed on bills has not been formalized, and likely could vary by provider, Mirabelli said. Something along the lines of "Ventura 911 fee" would be her preference.
New residents or someone adding a phone line has 14 days after activating the line to enroll in the per-call option, Mirabelli said. "But we may amend that," she said, when it was suggested phone users likely wouldn't learn of the fee until their first bill arrives.
Exactly how many eligible telephone lines exist in Ventura also is unclear.
The phone companies have not been forthcoming with that information, she said, and a realistic total likely won't be known until August, she said. City officials conservatively estimated the number at 158,000.
Those who signed up for the per-call charge will get a free pass on their first 911 call and a letter from the city after a second call offering them the chance to pay the monthly fee instead of $17.88, Mirabelli said. Using data from its 911 call center, the city — not the telephone companies — will track and bill for individual 911 calls, she said. Any appeals by residents will be investigated by the city staff, Mirabelli said.
Any 911 calls made by someone witnessing a possible crime or reporting an emergency on behalf of another person are exempt.
The opt-out alternative — believed to be the first of its kind in the state — largely was crafted to strengthen the fee against the type of legal challenges filed against other cities collecting similar 911 fees. Last month, a state appeals court ruled Union City's fee was a special tax needing voter approval.
Posted by THX1138 on May 8, 2008 at 7:32 a.m. (Suggest removal)
I'd bet the number of "opt-outs" will increase once the tax/fee appears on phone bills. There are many that don't keep up on the local news or were not notified.
The question is will folks be able to opt-out later?
Posted by dennis on May 8, 2008 at 7:43 a.m. (Suggest removal)
The same brilliant minds who came up with this may now turn their attention to our schools deficit. We can levy a fee for parent conferences, homework, detention, remedial help, and add a crossing guard surcharge.
Posted by numonics on May 8, 2008 at 8:04 a.m. (Suggest removal)
Sad that now people have to think about calling 911 to report anything. They say if you see something and call 911 to report it that it might be waived, key word might.
http://cityofventura.net/bridge/publi...
Posted by numonics on May 8, 2008 at 8:06 a.m. (Suggest removal)
Sorry this is the site for city of Ventura about this issue, frequently ask questions.
http://cityofventura.net/bridge/publi...
Posted by numonics on May 8, 2008 at 9:39 a.m. (Suggest removal)
This is from Ventura's website,
Q. Will I be Charged to Make an Emergency Call if I see an Accident or Fire that I am not Involved In?
A. If you're on the monthly plan you can use the Emergency Communications System as often as needed at no additional charge. If you're on the per-use plan, the city can waive "good Samaritan" calls when appropriate. The city's goal is not to discourage legitimate Emergency Communications System use.
Q. Is This a Fee or a Tax?
A. This is a fee because the California Constitution specifically allows local governments to recover "the costs reasonably borne" in providing services to users. User fees are a means of assuring fair and equitable allocation of the cost of government among service users, taxpayers, ratepayers and property owners. This ordinance is specifically tailored so that users of the service will bear the cost of providing Ventura's Emergency Communications System.
Posted by smithjc on May 8, 2008 at 9:44 a.m. (Suggest removal)
"This ordinance is specifically tailored so that users of the service will bear the cost of providing Ventura's Emergency Communications System."
users of the service? show of hands here, folks. how many of you have ever called 911 in the city of ventura?
charging people a monthly fee for a service they may never use is hardly the "users" bearing the cost.
Posted by shaver_one on May 8, 2008 at 11:40 a.m. (Suggest removal)
If you currently live in Ventura, have active phone lines, and have NOT chosen the 'opt out' option already, you cannot 'opt-out' later. Only new residents and/or new telephone service will have the option to 'opt out'.
My question is: If you have a pre-paid cell phone, one that is not billed on a monthly basis, are you still liable for the $1.49 per month TAX? If so, how does the city expect to collect this TAX?
Posted by Artloverbut on May 8, 2008 at 9:08 p.m. (Suggest removal)
If the "user" is supposed to bear the cost why did the Council specifically name "low income" and exclude them from the monthly fee? Everyone, including the Council, knows a significant amount of 911 calls involve this category.
Posted by PackFan02 on May 9, 2008 at 9:07 a.m. (Suggest removal)
Would you all stop complaining about a damn dollar a month!!!
Posted by shaver_one on May 9, 2008 at 11:09 a.m. (Suggest removal)
PacFan02:
It's $1.49 per month...PER PHONE.
What if YOU had one household landline, one Fax/Internet land line, and three Cell phones? That's five phones being charged $1.49 each per month. That is $7.45 per month...NOT "a damn dollar a month!!!"
Posted by patticakepatti on May 10, 2008 at 5:37 p.m. (Suggest removal)
Perhaps the city of Ventura needs to hire someone capable of handling the cities finances...Have we ever been out of the red??? Isn't there always cutbacks??? Aren't they always cutting civilian jobs at the PD and giving them to sworn personnel at a much higher rate??? Yes people ask them about their cuts several years ago in the dispatch center...They demoted several civilian employees (some received a $10.00 an hour paycut) only to have them move in officers and corporals to be the supervisors at a much higher rate! How many of you out there believe that a person becomes an officer to sit in dispatch??? Looks like they finally found a way to make up the pay difference, very slick city officials, you're very good!
(Requires free registration.)
Article discussions on this site are to support community debates of issues related to our stories and editorials.
Discussions should not stray from the subject of the story or editorial.
We do not allow the following:
We reserve the right to delete threads and/or ban users for these or other reasons we deem necessary.
Opinions are the sole responsibility of the person posting them. You agree not to post comments that are off topic, defamatory, obscene, abusive, threatening or an invasion of privacy. Violators may be banned. Click here for our full user agreement.