Bellflower : Street Lighting Fee Retained; Business License Fee Raised

Residents and businesses will continue to pay a yearly fee to keep city street lights working, the City Council decided this week.

The council reduced the fee 10% from last year, when the lighting assessment district was formed, but that did not appease residents who objected to the fee during a public hearing Monday. Several walked out in protest when the public hearing was closed before they had a chance to speak.

The assessment for 1992-93 totals $450,000. Charges for homeowners will be $21.50, with owners of multiple-unit buildings paying $53.75 to $314, depending on the number of units and whether the buildings contain swimming pools. The average fee for a commercial property is $98.64.

The council voted 3 to 2 to continue the tax, with councilmen Bill Pendleton, Bob Stone and Ken Cleveland in support. Voting no were Mayor John Ansdell and Councilwoman Ruth Gilson, who made a point of opposing the tax during the April election.

“I really feel it should go to the voters to decide,” she said Monday. “I see it as a loophole around Proposition 13.”

The council also voted to raise business license fees from $25 to $100 for 1992-93. Gilson was the lone opponent, saying it would hurt “the small-business guy who has just as much right to stay in business as the next one.” Cleveland said, however, that $100 won’t put anyone out of business. “If it does, they’re already out of business,” he said.

The actions came as the council attempts to erase a $1.1-million budget shortfall for the fiscal year that began July 1.