By Grace Leung, Newport Beach City Manager
The City’s Permit Center received largely favorable reviews for customer service in 2024, according to a year-end report. Survey responses are prompted by a text asking customers to rate their experience. The City received 448 surveys in total last year.
- About 94% of respondents rated the quality of service as “excellent” or “good.”
- More than 90% of respondents answered “excellent” or “good” to the question: “Was your request handled in a reasonable amount of time?”
- Nearly 93% of respondents answered “excellent” to the question: “Were you treated courteously by members of our Permit Center team?”
- When asked “Did our staff take the time to answer all of your questions?” about 94% of respondents answered “excellent” or “good.”
Also in 2024:
- Permit Center customers opted for online plan checks 416 times, of the 1,538 plan checks eligible for online review at http://newportbeachca.gov/Civic. The City offers online plan reviews to applicants applying for residential projects, whole building demolition, solar panels, and battery installations.
- Customers utilized the simple permit option 1,328 times in 2024 through the online portal. Small residential projects such as water heater replacement and roofing can be handled through simple permit applications online.
Construction to Begin on San Miguel Park Accessible Playground
Construction on an accessible playground at San Miguel Park, 2200 San Miguel Dr., will begin this week. The playground will be Newport Beach’s first fully accessible playground for children with disabilities.
The project will upgrade an existing playground. Crews will install new surfaces, new play equipment with more than 20 ground-accessible components, and remove barriers to accommodate disability access.
The adjacent parking lot and concrete path to the park will be upgraded to meet current Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) standards.
During construction, temporary restroom facilities will be provided for public use. Parking in the area may be reduced and pedestrian detours may be established for safety.
The project is expected to be completed in March.
Public Restroom Improvements Underway
City projects to improve and upgrade several public restrooms are in progress:
- Construction has begun to rehabilitate the public restroom at Irvine Terrace Park. The work will include installing a new roofing system, plumbing fixtures, LED light fixtures, tile, automatic locking doors, and paint.
- Construction will begin next week on a project to rehabilitate the public restroom at 38th Street Park on Balboa Boulevard. The project will include installing a new roofing system, plumbing fixtures, LED light fixtures, tile, automatic locking doors, and paint.
- Construction will begin in February on public restroom upgrades at Washington Street and Bay Avenue and at the Balboa Island Ferry landing on Agate Avenue. These projects will include installing new plumbing fixtures, tile, automatic locking doors, and paint.
The work is expected to be completed by late spring. During construction, portable restrooms will be provided for public use. Parking in the area may be reduced and pedestrian detours may be established for safety.
New Utility Bill Schedule to Begin in February
Beginning in February 2025, the City of Newport Beach will transition to monthly utility billing from bi-monthly. This includes charges for water, sewer, recycling and more.
Customers will receive a utility bill, known as the Municipal Services Statement, 12 times a year instead of six. The transition will begin in February and be completed by March (individual transition dates depend on the current billing cycle).
- If your account is set up for automatic payments, no additional steps are needed. You will be charged automatically each month, five days before the due date.
- To set up or adjust automatic payments, visit www.onlinebiller.com/newport.
- The benefits of monthly billing include:
- Creates consistent payment cycles with most other bills.
- Reduces late payments.
- Helps promote water conservation by allowing customers to more quickly detect leaks or other increased water use.
For questions, please email revenuehelp@newportbeachca.gov or call 949-644-3141.
