HomeMy WebLinkAbout00 - Insider's GuideInsider's Guide for the Newport Beach City Council Meeting on June 9, 2020
During these unprecedented times, public participation is critical for good governance and
accountability. To that end, the City has implemented an Information Technology solution to ensure
your voice is heard. Using a program called Zoom, the City will livestream the meeting through its
website (http://www.newportbeachca.gov/nbtvlive) and will broadcast the meeting on its cable
television channel NBTV (Spectrum Channel 3 and Cox Channel 852). The Mayor and City Council
members will be seen on screen as they participate in the meeting from the City Council Chambers or
their homes. Members of the public can provide public comment by calling in to provide their comments
for agenda items in real time. The telephone numbers are listed after agenda item titles on the Council
agenda and will appear on viewers' screens at the appropriate times. Consistent with in-person Council
meetings, callers will have three minutes to provide comments on an agenda item. If you wish to
comment, you may also send your comments via email to cityclerk@newportbeachca.gov by Monday,
June 8, at 5 p.m. For those unable to utilize these options, participation is available in-person from the
Community Room (across from the City Council Chambers). 4 Our next City Council meeting is Tuesday,
June 9, 2020 with a closed session starting at 5 p.m. The entire agenda, and all reports, can be viewed
here.
The Regular Meeting begins at 5:30 p.m. with the following items of note:
• We are recommending an award for phase 2A of the Big Canyon Restoration Project. This phase will
restore 11.3 acres of habitat by removing invasion plant species and replacing it with native plants. We
have partnered with the Newport Bay Conservancy and together have secured over $1.68 million in
grant funds. The last phase is in the environmental review phase and will be expected to be in
construction in the next few years.
• The City Council will consider adoption of the Fiscal Year 2020-21 Budget. This year, the City Council
will consider a tiered reduction approach due to the significant shortfalls in our revenue budget, as a
result of the COVID-19 pandemic. The budget as presented is balanced and relies on a number of short-
term tiered budgetary solutions, maintains service levels, and postpones capital improvement projects
to future years. We anticipate that the City Council will be discussing the budget on a quarterly basis as
the current situation evolves.
• A long-term project, funded through water rates, is the replacement of all the City's water meters with
"smart" meters that will provide more timely water usage data to residents and businesses and reduce
the costs of meter reading. The City has been accumulating money in its Water Fund for a number of
years in anticipation of this large-scale project. The City also received an almost $1.5 million grant to
ease the burden on our water rate payers.