INSIDE CITY HALL Here are some decisions...

INSIDE CITY HALL

Here are some decisions coming out of the Newport Beach City

Council meeting on Tuesday.

CENTENNIAL COMMITTEE

Seven residents have been appointed to a committee charged with

planning the city’s 100th birthday two years from now. Thomas

Anderson, Barry Allen, William Dean, Cecilia Nott, Dayna Pettit,

Cecelia Tobin and Gay Wassall-Kelly will comprise the committee.

WHAT IT MEANS

Newport Beach’s 2006 centennial could be influenced by the 2004

centennial for the village of Corona del Mar, scheduled to take place

later this year. City officials have said they want to throw a

memorable celebration for the city’s birthday, setting a high

standard for the new committee.

GENERAL PLAN ADVISORY COMMITTEE

Three vacancies on the city’s General Plan Advisory Committee have

also been filled. Ron Baers will represent environmental interests.

Barbara Johnson will represent District 6. And Raymond Zartler will

represent District 7.

WHAT IT MEANS

Baers, Johnson and Zartler will join veterans on the committee to

continue to advise staff on how they believe the city’s future should

unfold within the general plan.

HUD GRANTS

The City Council approved its application for $437,000 in

Community Development Block Grants from the federal department of

Housing and Urban Development for the coming year.

WHAT IT MEANS

The money is used for improvements within Newport Beach and the

city also has the option of giving away part of it in grants to local

agencies that help the needy. This year the city will grant $126,384

to eight local agencies, including the Designated Drivers Assn.,

Families Forward, the Orange Coast Interfaith Shelter and the Fair

Housing Council of Orange County.

WHAT THEY SAID

“As an elected official, I think it’s a good thing that we give

the maximum we can to worthy causes,” Mayor Tod Ridgeway said.

CITY POLICIES

The city also conducted an annual review of a number of city

policies on Tuesday. A comprehensive overview of policies on how the

city deals with the California Environmental Quality Act, the city’s

general plan and its practices for investing its cash reserves. Staff

recommended a number of changes, which council members approved.

WHAT IT MEANS

Most of the policy changes were things staff members described as

minor, such as wording changes to keep city policies up to date and

consistent with state and federal law.