Salt Lake County presenting police fee options | News

SALT LAKE CITY (AP) -- Salt Lake County officials plan a series of open houses to explain proposed alternatives to the current fee for police service.

Mayor Peter Corroon is set to announce a schedule for the events during a Monday news conference.

The fee was approved in 2009 to help fill an $11 million shortfall in the police department's budget. It is charged to business owners and residents of the unincorporated areas of the county and based on service calls

The fees can total thousands of dollars per month for major retailers.

The Legislature passed a bill during the 2011 general session prohibiting the fee, but delayed the ban until the end of 2012.

The fee has been extremely unpopular among county residents.

(Copyright 2011 by The Associated Press.  All Rights Reserved.)