THE NEW 911 FEE will cost my family $89 a year and I'll gladly pay it. That's for one land line, one fax line and three cell phones. I could opt out of the fax line, but I'm not going to.

I'm such a rebel.

I thought about this yesterday as I plunked down $15.83 for three cups of fancy coffee at a local java boutique. City Manager Rick Cole is fond of these coffee analogies, so if it's good enough for Rick, it's good enough for me. But it serves a useful purpose in providing perspective.

Yesterday was the first day Ventura residents were able to opt out of the $1.49-per-line monthly fee, which adds up to $17.88 a year for one line. Businesses with multiple or "trunk lines" will pay $4.47 a month. Those who choose to opt out of the fees can pay $17.88 if they ever call 911. This will be waived the first time and also for all "good samaritan" calls. Low-income folks eligible for lifeline service would not pay anything at all.

I had some reservations with the original $50-per-call opt out proposal. I thought it was too much and that it would dissuade those who opted out from calling 911. But the $17.88 is hardly going to break the piggybank of anyone not eligible for lifeline service, and it will be waived the first time.

I'LL ADMIT IT. I have a soft spot for those men and women who don uniforms every day to protect our lives. If they say they need extra personnel to keep us safe, I believe them. The money raised through the fee is earmarked for the operational costs of running the 911 system. What is gathered there will free up other dollars to hire three new firefighters and six new police officers.

Three of those new officers will be School Resource Officers and the school district is picking up the other half of the tab. In these tight budget times they've committed to doing this. It's that important to keep our kids safe.

I've seen the city's proposed budget and it is grim -- $4 million in cuts will be made for the next fiscal year. I've talked to school district officials and the news is worse there. We have tough budget times ahead in the city and state. Experts I've spoken with have told me the situation is likely to get worse. What's on the horizon for all of us is not pretty.

So I'm happy to pay the $89 a year to the city for the extra public safety personnel. Now if I could just get my coffee habit under control...