ON THE AGENDA Here are a few...

ON THE AGENDA

Here are a few items for discussion at today’s City Council

meeting.

SHOPPING CART ORDINANCE

This item was continued from the May 5 meeting. The council will

consider a law that mainly calls for all stores using shopping carts

to establish an effective containment system to keep the carts on

their properties, with a $150 fine for each cart the city retrieves

after the fifth one in any 12-month period. The council will also

consider two alternatives to this proposal.

WHAT TO EXPECT

Staff recommends the council pick one of the alternatives.

“The bottom line is it has to be something with some teeth to it,”

said Councilman Allan Mansoor. “It has to be extremely effective and

the burden should not be on the city and the cost should not be on

the city.”

1901 NEWPORT

After two deadlocks, the council will consider again an appeal

against its prior approval of high-density condominiums at 1901

Newport Blvd. The project calls for 161 upscale condos to be housed

in four, four-story buildings, about 50 feet in height, on property

that hosts the Spanish mission-style Newport Plaza building. The

approval was appealed by both Costa Mesa Citizens for Responsible

Growth and Councilman Allan Mansoor, mainly over fears of density.

The burden is on them to present new information to justify a

rehearing.

WHAT TO EXPECT

Staff has found that the appellants do not provide any new,

relevant evidence. Mansoor disagrees.

“I think the new information has been brought forward at the last

couple of meetings,” Mansoor said. “The problem is we just ended up

in a stalemate. I don’t think that’s going to happen [this time]. The

matter will be decided this Monday.”

BUDGET DEVELOPMENT STRATEGIES

This item was also continued from the May 5 meeting. The

combination of fiscal impacts resulting from the economy, the state’s

budget crisis and rising operating costs has created significant

pressures on resources available to balance the 2003-04 budget.

While these pressures created a shortfall of about $10 million,

the city manager and staff were able to whittle the deficit down to

about $4 million. The city manager and staff have prepared a list of

budget balancing strategies to address additional budgetary

reductions for the next fiscal year as they become necessary.

These include an across-the-board cut in appropriation requests

and service or program cuts.

WHAT TO EXPECT

The City Manager and staff are looking to the council to provide

direction. “No doubt some difficult decisions have to be made,”

Mansoor said. “It will be tough no matter how we do it.”

-- Compiled by

Deirdre Newman