Council Studies Plan to Finance 911 Center

Desperate to replace Long Beach’s dilapidated 911 emergency system, city officials outlined a plan Friday to pay for a new dispatch center with a combination of fee increases and other revenue sources.

But officials warned that if the concept is rejected, the city would have to slash services.

In one of the first such proposals by a Los Angeles County city since the passage of Proposition 218, the tax-limitation initiative, the City Council will review a plan to upgrade the 911 system by raising residential trash pickup fees 12.2% over two years to about $18 a month. But property owners must approve the increase before it can take effect.

City Manager James C. Hankla acknowledged that the potential fee increase put the city in untested legal territory, but said he will advise the council to approve the plan rather than cut services.