INSIDE CITY HALL Here are some...

INSIDE CITY HALL

Here are some decisions coming out of Tuesday’s meeting of the

Newport Beach City Council:

COUNCIL MEETING COMMUNICATIONS

The biggest question at Tuesday’s meeting was: Can we ask

questions? Some residents wanted to know how they can expect to get

answers to their questions if council members have a policy of not

directly answering citizens’ questions during the meetings. To keep a

handle on the proceedings, council members have a policy of not

entertaining specific queries from speakers during public comments

and public hearings in council meetings.

How, then, some wanted to know, can a resident get answers about

city government? Officials pointed out that, whenever possible, they

do try to answer relevant questions during the meetings. But the best

way to pose questions, they said, is through phone calls or e-mail

messages with elected officials and staff members.

WHAT THEY SAID:

“These meetings are set up for a certain purpose and they operate

in a certain way,” Councilman Dennis O’Neil said.

CELLULAR ANTENNAS

Cellular antennas should be installed on some city sites for a

fee, council members agreed. In the final vote on an issue that has

been under scrutiny for months, council members approved an ordinance

to allow the city to enter into lease agreements with phone companies

to install their next-generation cellular antennas in approved

locations.

LOCAL COASTAL PROGRAM

Council members agreed to set aside $264,125 from the city’s

general fund to cover costs of certifying the city’s Local Coastal

Plan. That price tag includes technical studies, legal services and

consultants’ fees. Staff explained that it’s hard to estimate how

much it will cost to certify the city’s Local Coastal Plan with the

California Coastal Commission because no other city in the state has

completed the certification process for such a plan.

-- Compiled by

June Casagrande