By Paul Eakins
The Press - Telegram
LONG BEACH, Calif. — Proposed new building inspection fees would save three Long Beach firefighters’ positions downtown, but “rolling brownout” station closures are still on the table.
Fire Chief Alan Patalano presented the inspection fee proposal Monday afternoon to the City Council’s Budget Oversight Committee. A $20 per unit fee would be applied for required annual fire inspections of residential buildings, hotels and motels with three units or more.
That would generate about $500,000 annually, Patalano told the committee. The money would be used to save three positions at Fire Station 1 downtown.
Under City Manager Pat West’s “Plan A” cuts to help eliminate an $18.5 million general fund deficit, the station was to lose nine firefighter positions and an engine.
However, the extra building inspection revenue won’t impact the deeper “Plan B” cuts, which are to be implemented if employee associations don’t agree to pay freezes. In most cases, none of the labor groups appear likely to reach a deal with the city.
In the Fire Department, Plan B cuts would mean rotating closures of fire stations, permanently eliminating one fire engine from service. Some fire stations would be exempt, but overall Fire Department response time may increase as other stations work to fill the gap in service, fire officials have said.
The budget committee approved the proposal, sending it to the full council for a vote. Today is the deadline for the council to approve a balanced budget for the 2011 fiscal year, which begins Oct. 1.Passport services save interpreters
The budget committee also signed off on a plan Monday for the City Clerk Department to start offering passport services.
City Clerk Larry Herrera said that by offering the service, just as some other area cities have begun doing, his office could earn at least $20,000.
Of that revenue, $13,000 would be used to save foreign language interpreters for council meetings, which are slated to be cut, and another $7,000 would pay for Laserfiche software and services for a citywide records management program.Fireworks saved
In another meeting Monday, the Long Beach Harbor Commission voted unanimously to pay for next year’s Fourth of July fireworks show at the Queen Mary.
The fireworks show was yet another city cost that is slated to be cut under the proposed budget.
The commission voted to fund $75,000 for the show.
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