COUNCIL UNANIMOUSLY PASSES TRASH FEE HIKE, CITY BUDGET.

Byline: KERRY CAVANAUGH Staff Writer

Without debate, the Los Angeles City Council passed a plan Tuesday to increase the monthly residential trash fee from $11 now to $28 by 2010 to pay for an additional 1,000 police officers.

The fee hike and police force expansion were the centerpiece of Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa's proposed $6.7 billion 2006-07 budget, which the council passed unanimously.

The budget, which takes effect July 1, includes funding for expanded library hours, gang-intervention programs and traffic officers to direct cars through the city's busiest intersections.

But public safety was the big-ticket item, with 40 percent of the budget spent on police and fire programs. The $17 monthly trash-fee increase, which will take place incrementally over the next four years, could start as early as September with a $7-per-month hike if it clears the last procedural hurdles. It will have the most immediate effect on residents of the new budget items.

City Council President Eric Garcetti said city leaders have considered for more than two years whether to charge residents for trash pickup, prior to Tuesday's uncontested decision.

``We've had many discussions on the merits of the trash fee. We don't feel there was a lack of discussion. I just feel there was a consensus by the time we got here.''

Residents in single-family homes and small apartment complexes now pay at least $11 a month for their trash cans. The proposal would raise that fee $7 this year, with additional increases until the monthly bill reaches $28 in 2010.

Within a month, the Bureau of Sanitation will send out public notices explaining the fee increase to 1.2 million customers and property owners. After a public comment period, the Council will vote to initiate the new fee.

The trash fees will go into the city's General Fund. As part of the budget, the City Council also approved a rule that the money should be spent first on hiring police officers and that the council cannot divert dollars to other projects without the approval of 12 council members.

``This financial policy has never occurred before. It's sending a clear message that we'll be fiscally responsible and public safety is our first priority,'' said Councilwoman Wendy Greuel, who drafted the policy.

The city's new $6.7 billion spending plan is an 11 percent, or $680 million, increase over last year.

Some council members said this was one of the easier budget years, with few arguments over funding priorities.

``None of us got all of what we wanted but all of us concur that this is the best financial blueprint for the city,'' said Bernard Parks, who heads the council's Budget and Finance Committee, which spent 50 hours on budget deliberations.

kerry.cavanaugh(at)dailynews.com

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