BUDGET-BALANCING PLANS ADVANCE.

Byline: Rick Orlov Daily News Staff Writer

The Los Angeles City Council gave preliminary approval Friday to three measures that would raise parking ticket fines, sanitation equipment fees and allow a raid on a special fund to balance its $4 billion budget for the coming fiscal year.

Council members said the actions were needed to avoid creating a $17 million deficit in the city's reserve fund and to finance all the programs planned for the coming year.

The council did not take a formal vote on the increase. Instead, using parliamentary rules, Councilman Richard Alatorre withheld his vote on the matter, allowing it to receive preliminary approval and come back before the council next week for a vote.

Under the actions, the city would increase parking tickets by $10 - to $30 for meter violations, and to $40 for parking on streets scheduled for sweeping.

It also would increase the sanitation equipment charge - for two years - by $1.50 a month to $6 for homeowners and $4.50 a month for apartment dwellers. That is the same level it was two years ago before it was reduced by the council.

The third action would allow the city to take $16 million over two years from the wastewater fund, money that normally is used for the repair and construction of sewers.

``The only reason I am voting for these is because they have a hard sunset in two years,'' said Councilwoman Rita Walters. ``This is not something I feel good about doing, but it's a necessity in order to balance the unbalanced budget that was presented to us by the mayor.''

But Councilman Nate Holden said the increases won't end.

``The sun will never set on these taxes,'' Holden said. ``We're going to keep adding them on under the guise we will sunset these. We've had projections we'll have a $200 million deficit in two years. If that's the case, what is the likelihood you will eliminate these taxes? None.''

Alatorre said the increases were needed to balance the budget and enable the city to have a $26.8 million reserve fund for the coming fiscal year that begins July 1.

The ordinances were needed in order for the new fees to take effect July 1.

The council is scheduled to vote on the final budget resolution Tuesday to pass the spending plan back to Mayor Richard Riordan. He will have five days to review it and issue any vetoes.

Riordan has said he will veto the plan by the council to reduce the growth of the Los Angeles Police Department as well as a council action to reduce the number of miles of streets that are resurfaced.