Long Beach OKs fee hikes for parking, water usage, garbage collection

The Long Beach City Council approved increasing fees Tuesday night for overnight parking lots, water usage and garbage collection.

The fee hikes were already passed in the city’s budget, City Manager Jack Schnirman said.

Trash collection fees, which have not been updated since 2010, were raised to $575 per year for residents and a minimum of $131 per quarter for businesses. Half of the fees for residents will be due July 1 with the remainder due on Jan. 1, according to a city report.

Residents still displaced from homes after superstorm Sandy are exempt from the increase.

Water rates were increased to $4.49 per gallon for residents using between 12,001 to 150,000 gallons per quarter. Rates for residents using the minimum amount of water -- under 12,000 gallons -- would remain unchanged. About 52 percent of residents use the minimum amount and would be unaffected by the fee hike, Schnirman said.

The city also increased parking permits from $10 to $50 for permits in three leased overnight lots. Parking lots cost the city about $150,000 annually, city officials said.

Some residents suggested metered parking to offset the increase for permits, but council members said metered parking would target commercial visitors and change the tenor of the city.