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During an annual retreat this week, art enthusiasts discussed a number of topics, including programming, budget, performing arts on the Balboa Peninsula, and several new sub-committees, including one to look into possibly bringing back the bus museum tour. Newport Beach City Arts...

Newport Beach City Council discussed potential changes, including some increases, for life safety services fees during a study session this week. Following a consulting company’s study and resulting recommendations, as well as review from the Finance Committee, on the fees,...

Newport Beach City Council discussed, and ultimately approved, a budget for the upcoming fiscal year that includes a new school safety officer, fire marshal, and an “aggressive” approach to the city’s biggest financial issue,  unfunded pension liability. “All in all, and in...

A budget discussion this week centered on the city’s biggest financial issue, unfunded pension liability, but also mentioned a number of proposed new staffing positions, including some key roles in public safety. In a joint meeting with the Finance Committee on Tuesday, the...

Newport Beach Mayor Pro Tem Will O’Neill spoke at the NB Chamber of Commerce Government Affairs Committee meeting Thursday morning, covering a range of topics including the city budget, the harbor, and public safety. He also explained the economic stability of Newport Beach to an...

Newport Beach City Council praised the new harbormaster team and Harbor Operations program last week during a review of the four months the department has been up and running. There were some questions during the Nov. 14 study session about it costing more than what the city...

It’s been an interesting year for art in Newport Beach, particularly regarding how it’s funded in the city, and that was at the heart of the conversation during a meeting this week. Discussion during the City Arts Commission annual retreat Tuesday revolved mostly around what the...

By Loreen Gilbert | Special to the NB Indy Travel is a favorite pastime for many, and most people list travel as one of their top three financial goals. However, everyone has a different idea of what type of travel we want to take and how much we are comfortable in spending for...

Op/Ed by Councilmembers Diane Dixon and Will O’Neill Newport Beach enjoys extraordinary blessings, including weather, location, fiscal prosperity and community stewards, to name just a handful.  Our City Council Members and dedicated citizen members have worked hard through...

Newport Beach City Council this week unanimously approved the city’s $306.9 million budget for the upcoming fiscal year, which focuses on the harbor, paying down the city’s unfunded pension liability and infrastructure. A public hearing was conducted Tuesday on the proposed...

With a newfound need to drive private fundraising for the city’s cultural arts in Newport Beach, the city Arts Commission is investing in music and manpower. The commissioners approved an increase of $60,000 in their programming budget for a concert by the Pacific Symphony next...

Money was on the minds of Newport Beach residents who turned out to hear Newport Beach Councilman Will O’Neill’s city finance overview at the Speak Up Newport forum on Wednesday evening in the community room at the Newport Beach Civic Center. The Stanford graduate and business...

After about three hours and a lot of back and forth discussions during both the study session and the regular meeting, Newport Beach City Council adopted the $282.43 million 2015-16 budget with a few revisions. Council voted 4-3 to adopt the budget, with Marshall “Duffy”...

More than 60 people gathered in the Friend’s Room at the Newport Beach Public Library Thursday morning to listen to Orange County CEO Mike Giancola speak. The event was the Chamber of Commerce’s monthly Wake Up! Newport meeting. Giancola spoke about a progress report on the...

City Council unanimously approved the budget for the upcoming 2014-15 fiscal year last week. The council adopted the budget during their June 10 meeting and will take effect July 1, according to an announcement released on June 13. The budget “is balanced, adds to Newport Beach’s...

Council and staff members discussed the city of Newport Beach budget for the 2013-14 fiscal year during a study session Tuesday. The city performance plan states that the budget is balanced while increasing investment in crime prevention, neighborhood beautification and...

Ahoy! The Newport Sea Base’s opening day is Saturday (April 14) and everyone is welcome to visit the facilities and join in on the fun. You can going sailing or take a pontoon boat ride – and, of course, the Newport Beach Firefighters Association will be serving a free...

Last time, I wrote about why a constitutional amendment to balance the budget was bad economics because the ability of the federal government to react to swings in the business cycle would be neutered. Some of you weren’t around in the 1950s and 1960s and think that’s OK. Well,...

One byproduct of the recent budget debates is a renewed call on the right for a balanced-budget amendment. One of their favorite arguments is, if it’s good policy for states, why not lock the federal government into the same horse collar? They argue this with a straight face...

For the $125-150 million Taj Mahal/Civic Center construction project, the City of Newport Beach has a $5.4 million dollar contingency budget, of which $600,000 has so far been spent for unforeseen/overrun/weather related expenses. OK, fine.  Unforeseen circumstances have forced...