Seniors come out against Redding 'lift assist' fee; Civic gets a reprieve
The council approved the First Responder Fee in 2021 and recently began implementing the fee for calls going back to January, said Fire Chief Jerrod Vanlandingham.
That sparked a flurry of opposition from older residents, several of whom spoke against the fee at the council's meeting on Tuesday night, some clutching the bills they'd received after calling for lift assist service.
"This is ridiculous, this whole thing," Darlene Waltman told the council during the public comment session, after walking slowly to the podium wearing a post-surgical boot on her right foot. "How many senior citizens have that amount of money if they fall in their home? If somebody is on the ground and they can't get up, who do you call?"
The council voted 5-0 to repeal the fee and to refund any fees paid. The official repeal of the ordinance will take place at a future meeting.
"For the moment we're repealing it and we'll come back with other stuff later," said Redding Mayor Jack Munns.
On Monday, Vanlandingham told the Recored Searchlight that if the council completely removed the fee, the fire department might need to make tough decisions about whether or not crews respond to medical calls, ones that pull them away from more urgent emergencies.Vanlandingham said the fee was determined based on costs for salaries of responding personnel, vehicle fuel and maintenance. He had estimated the Redding fee could bring over $750,000 in revenue to the city and that 20 other fire agencies in California levy similar fees to raise revenue.
The council had approved charging the service fee in 2023 after reviewing the number of Redding Fire Department responses for lift assists. The department helps with an average of three or more calls per day (roughly 1,200 calls per year) for 'non-life-threatening situations in which individuals need help getting up after a fall or similar incident,' the city said in its Aug. 4 announcement.
At its meeting on Tuesday, the council also gave preliminary approval to moving forward with plans to provide financial help to the money-losing Civic Auditorium, which the city owns and is now leased by nonprofit operator Advance Redding.
The council voted to grant $675,000 that is now being held in an equipment replacement account to the Civic Auditorium to cover operational expenses.
The council also gave preliminary approval to dropping the auditorium's $5,000 a month lease payments until January 2026 and making the Community Services Advisory Commission the lead in determining a possible new long-term lease for the facility with Advance Redding.
More: Money-losing Redding Civic wants 'stopgap' funds from city land sale
The nonprofit's 10-year lease to operate the venue now expires in 2031.
"I wouldn't call it the development of a lease agreement just yet, but to discuss a potential restructure which could lead to a new lease agreement," City Manager Barry Tippin said after the vote.
"The bigger picture is first to figure out what does that even look like, how would that work, what are the elements of it, who's responsible for what. And if CSAC comes to a recommendation, then they would bring it back to the council for consideration and that could end up in a new lease," said Tippin.
The Redding Civic's woes come as the city recently passed a budget that left 13 vacant police and 13 vacant firefighter positions unfilled, among other reductions, amid additions of seven positions in public works and six in community services.
Advance Redding is the nonprofit created by megachurch Bethel Church in 2011 to take over operations of the money-losing Civic Auditorium, which the city had been eyeing for closure. At the time, the city was looking for a third party to keep the outmoded auditorium's doors open.
More: The Buzz: After 12 years, Bethel School of Supernatural Ministry no longer at Civic
After establishing its ministry school operations at the Civic Auditorium, Bethel Church moved out as of the 2023-24 school year.
Michele Chandler covers public safety, dining and whatever else comes up for the Redding Record Searchlight/USA Today Network. Accepts story tips at 530-338-7753 and at mrchandler@gannett.com. Please support our entire newsroom's commitment to public service journalism by subscribing today
This article originally appeared on Redding Record Searchlight: Senior backlash prompts Redding council to drop 'lift assist' fee
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