By Grace Leung, Newport Beach City Manager
Our next City Council meeting is Tuesday, March 23. Items that may be of interest are highlighted below. The entire agenda, and all reports, can be viewed at https://www.newportbeachca.gov/Home/Components/Calendar/Event/64230/72.
Study Session at 4 p.m.:
- Representatives from the City’s Harbor Commission will present the results of a recent study on Newport Harbor that examined the types of stakeholders that use the harbor.
Regular Meeting begins at 6 p.m.
On the Consent Calendar is:
- Two separate resolutions that would request time extensions for the City to spend Orange County Transportation Authority Measure M2 grant funding. The first is an OCTA grant to fund a feasibility study examining local transportation options to increase mobility at Balboa Island and Corona Del Mar. Because COVID-19 has reduced the use of public transportation and altered travel patterns, the City is requesting to delay the study until the 2023 fiscal year. The second grant is to partially fund the Newport Bay Trash Interceptor project, which will collect debris from the San Diego Creek before it reaches the bay, harbor and ocean waters. Because of COVID-19 related construction delays, the City is requesting a one-time, 24-month extension.
- Authorizing the submittal of the City’s 2020 General Plan update progress report and Housing Element annual progress report to the State of California. The City is required by State law to prepare and submit an annual report on the status of General Plan implementation.
- The Council will receive the results of the City’s annual independent financial audit. The audit was conducted by the firm CliftonLarsonAllen LLP for the fiscal year ending June 30, 2020.
Public Hearings and Current Business:
- A proposed increase in residential recycling fees to partially offset additional costs of meeting new state mandates. California state law requires that every household, business and multi-family property recycle their organic waste beginning January 1, 2022. To partially offset the increased costs, the Council will consider a proposal to increase recycling fees. For most Newport Beach households, the fees would increase from $3 a month to $6.28 a month. Households in the Newport Coast area, which do not currently pay a recycling fee, would pay $5.86 per month. Organics recycling is mandated by the state to reduce the volume of waste transported to landfills and reduce greenhouse gas emissions from organic waste decomposition. The recycling fee was last updated in 2009.
- To assist Newport Beach businesses with pandemic recovery, the Council will consider a one-year waiver of business license fees for Newport Beach businesses that were forced to close because of COVID-19. The waiver would apply to business license tax renewals for businesses that were required to close by order of the state of California at any time during the pandemic. The waiver would apply for renewals processed between April 1, 2021, and March 31, 2022.
Thank you for reading. Feedback is appreciated so please don’t hesitate to ask a question or offer a comment.
Grace K. Leung
City Manager, gleung@newportbeachca.gov
