HomeMy WebLinkAboutSS04 - Tidelands AdministrationITEM 4
TO: Members of the Newport Beach City Council
FROM: Homer Bludau, City Manager
SUBJECT: Tidelands Administration
RECOMMENDED
ACTION:
Receive and File.
EXECUTIVE In January 1999, the City Council identified "Improved Tidelands
SUMMARY: Administration' as one of its goals for 1999. The Council had asked City staff to
examine the way that it administers the City's tidelands properties and to report
back with suggestions for more streamlined administration.
The Council focused upon the "equity' of rents and valuations throughout the
Harbor and upon the manner in which the City itself staffs tidelands- related
activities. We have addressed these two issues as follows:
• Equity. In late September, we issued a Request for Proposals (RFP) on a
comprehensive appraisal of the City's tidelands assets. The City received three
responses to this RFP on October 21, 1999.
• Administration. Staff has also worked on streamlining the City's administration
of tidelands activities -from meeting attendance to which division handles lease
negotiations. Two organization charts -one outlining how things work today
and another outlining how things might work in the future -are attached.
This agenda item gives the City Council an opportunity to review and comment
about a proposed organizational structure for tidelands administration.
BACKGROUND: Several individuals in several different City departments have specific
responsibility over Newport Bay - related activities. While this can be somewhat
confusing for City staff to administer, it is even more confusing for residents who
need a permit processed, a question answered, or a lease negotiated.
For example:
• Fire and Marine approves plans and specifications for residential piers -
something that Building may have more expertise in.
Newport Beach City Council
Page 2
BACKGROUND: • Public Works administers the City's NPDES program, even though
(cont'd) stormwater and urban runoff issues come up at a variety of meetings
that the Deputy City Manager attends.
• Fire and Marine and the Deputy City Manager both negotiate and
manage specific tidelands leases.
• Dredging issues float between Fire and Marine and the Deputy City
Manager, depending upon the specific dredging location in the Bay.
• Environmental issues -like eelgrass mitigation and the current Studies
underway by the US Army Corps of Engineers -also are administered
by either the Deputy City Manager, Public Works, or Fire and Marine.
Recognizing this problem, we reviewed what we do now (Attachment A) and
tried to project what we should be doing in the future (Attachment B). If
implemented, the changes proposed by these attachments (shown in the form of
organization charts) would align various categories of activities under specific
departments.
In short, the changes would:
• Align most environmental programs, including the City's National
Pollutant Discharge Elimination System ( NPDES) responsibility, under the
Deputy City Manager.
• Bring plan review and permitting under the Building Department.
• Create a distinction between lease negotiation and lease enforcement -
leaving the latter with Fire and Marine and the former with the Deputy
City Manager.
• Direct Fire and Marine to review and enforce lease conditions at least
annually instead of by complaint only.
• Assume a small realignment of mooring administration and ownership
from the County of Orange to Fire and Marine.
In preparation for this Study Session item, I have reviewed these charts and ask
that the City Council also review them before I take any action towards
implementation.
ATTACHMENTS: Attachment A - Current Structure
Attachment B - Proposed Structure
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