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Santa Paula council adopts revised user-fee schedule; CPI increases to be reviewed during budget
Summary
After a lengthy presentation and questioning, the council adopted a revised user-fee resolution that sets new and adjusted fees across departments, raises several parks fees, clarifies nuisance/citation language and requires CPI-based adjustments to be reviewed during the regular budget process rather than automatically applied.
The Santa Paula City Council voted Oct. 15 to adopt a revised user-fee schedule covering multiple departments, including updated parks and public-works fees and new administrative charges for services such as document printing and certain utility service calls.
Staff presented a cost-allocation study that identified roughly $5.7 million in allocable costs and proposed a set of fee adjustments to bring charges more in line with staff time and operating costs. The consultant and department directors outlined specific changes—examples included a proposed increase in nonprofit youth soccer field rates from $8 to $12 per hour and a $25 hourly charge for use of the city sports park complex.
Council’s primary debate centered on whether fee adjustments should increase automatically with the consumer price index. Several councilmembers urged built-in flexibility so that statutory-fee limits and public-interest concerns could be honored; the council amended the draft resolution so that CPI‑based adjustments would be reviewed during the regular budget process, rather than being mechanically applied. The amendment was read into the record by the city attorney before the final vote.
Other debated items included: a $69 “general service call” to recover staff time when crews respond to customer plumbing questions on private property (staff said customers would be advised and the charge would not apply when the city is responsible); clarified animal-license language (the fees are set by Ventura County but collected locally); and nuisance/noise response language tied to municipal code section 93.35 to capture police special-service costs when appropriate.
Council adopted the amended resolution in a recorded vote: Crosswhite YES, Cornejo YES, Ornelas YES, Juarez YES, Mayor Chavez NO (motion passed 4–1). Staff said most fees would take effect 60 days after adoption and that some changes would be implemented with the 2026 budget cycle.
