Newport budget includes park, retrofit work

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A recreation center in Santa Ana Heights, a park at Newport Village and retrofitting work are among the major expenses likely to appear in next year’s Newport Beach budget, spending that could be offset by continued strong sales and property tax revenue.

All totaled, the proposed budget is for $191.6 million, including $41 million in capital improvement projects.

The City Council is expected to adopt the budget at its next meeting on June 27. Also included in the proposed 2006-07 budget are a water pipe replacement project and 10 new staff positions.

“It may look like a big number, but I think there’s good justification for my recommendation of those positions,” City Manger Homer Bludau said. “The council may not fund them all. Other than those 10 positions, it’s a pretty status quo budget.”

The 10 positions include two civilian police jobs, a property and evidence room officer and a facility maintenance worker; three Fire Department paramedics; two public works civil engineers; a library assistant for Mariners library; a city maintenance worker, and a Fire Department information and communications coordinator.

Bludau said he recommended only 10 positions but had 18 positions requested by various city departments, including the Fire Department and the library.

There are about 755 full-time city employees.

Philip Arst, a leader of the slow-growth Greenlight group, said he has not had a chance to look at the budget but questioned the requested 10 positions.

“For five years, I have said that the city government is grossly inefficient,” Arst said. “I would think before hiring new people, they should first bring their operation to a more efficient level.”

Among the capital improvement projects, Bludau said the most costly are the Santa Ana Heights recreation center, estimated at $4.15 million; a bridge seismic retrofit project at $1.2 million; a water pipe replacement project at $1.85 million; and $1.7 million for the Newport Village Park.

There are no funds set aside for a proposed new civic center, Bludau said, because the City Council has not formally voted on the site for the project.

Preliminary estimates for the new civic center are about $48 million.

As for city revenue, Bludau said property and sales taxes continue to be strong.

The hotel and motel tax looks like it’s going to be stronger than it has in years,” he said.

Also included in the budget are state grants for water quality issues, he added.

The council will meet at 7 p.m. June 27 at City Hall, 3300 Newport Blvd.