County residents to face higher fees

County residents to face higher fees

The Board of Supervisors voted Tuesday to increase charges for items ranging from golf course greens fees to the bill from the county coroner for handling a dead body. As the county struggles with cuts at the federal and state level and its own deficit, several department heads asked the board to approve fee increases to allow them to recoup more of their costs. Greens fees on county golf courses have been the same since 2009, but operating costs have gone up 10 percent, according to the Department of Parks and Recreation. Those fees are, on average, 25 percent less than the average at other public, municipal courses in Southern California, county staffers said. By unanimous vote, the board agreed to increase greens fees by $1 on weekdays and $2 on weekends lessons drills.

The county coroner's fee for body handling and transport will go up from $200 to $312.12, to cover some of the department's costs. Fees will be waived for the indigent, parents of a child 14 years old or younger, and those whose loved one was the innocent victim of a crime. The change gives the coroner authority to increase the fee up to $400, if necessary. Other fee increases will affect highway and sewer construction permits, and plan checks and inspections related to flood control. Most of the changes require further administrative action by the board and will not go into effect immediately Tiger Woods Will be Joined by Reigning U.S. Open Champ.