CARLSBAD --- A state Department of Parks decision to reduce lifeguards' hours this month as a budget-cutting measure has resulted in a resurfacing of the old debate over whether the City of Carlsbad ought to pay for lifeguards.

Saying they were inspired by the state's recent budget decision, two North County residents urged the Carlsbad City Council on Tuesday evening to start kicking in $100,000 for lifeguard services for a privately owned stretch of beach that has no lifeguards now.

"This has been an ongoing issue for at least 15 years," said Pete Biltchik, a semi-retired Oceanside resident who used to live a few blocks from Carlsbad's northern beach area.

Biltchik and Carlsbad resident Bruce Macklin want the city to pay for lifeguards for a roughly three-quarter-mile stretch from Pine Avenue north to the Oceanside city limits. The area is one of the few sections of Carlsbad's nearly seven miles of beach land that isn't owned by the state. It's in private hands, though the city operates several walkway access points.

Located just west of Carlsbad's downtown with its many souvenir shops and hotels, the region sometimes is nicknamed "tourist beach." For Biltchik and Macklin, those tourist dollars are a key reason why the city ought to provide lifeguards.

But for the city, the key issue is land ownership. The City of Carlsbad doesn't own any of its beaches, and it has long maintained that it should not provide lifeguards because it doesn't control the land, Joe Garuba, city senior management analyst, said Wednesday.

City officials have said they believe Carlsbad could face legal liability if the city paid for lifeguards to work in areas Carlsbad doesn't own. Biltchik said Wednesday that he has heard there are recent changes in state law that might reduce the liability the city could face if an accident occurred.

The city is looking into whether that is the case, Garuba said, adding that the city attorney has been asked to issue an opinion on the matter.

Carlsbad's beach situation is far different than its neighboring cities. Oceanside owns many of its beaches and Encinitas started managing two of its five state-owned beach parks more than a dozen years ago. Both cities pay to provide lifeguards.

In Carlsbad, most of the beaches are in the hands of the state parks department.

The parks department has cut back on its lifeguarding services throughout June in an effort to meet its budget for current fiscal year, said Denny Stoufer, the sector superintendent for the State Park's coastal region stretching from Torrey Pines through Carlsbad. The fiscal year ends June 30, and after that South Carlsbad and Carlsbad State beaches will return to regular staffing levels, he said.

"Right now, we're at half of what we would normally have at this time of year," he said.

In a normal June, they would have several lifeguard towers at each beach staffed as well as a vehicle with two people cruising the beach, he said.

- Contact staff writer Barbara Henry at (760) 901-4072 or bhenry@nctimes.com.