Huntington Beach air show could receive financial help from city at Tuesday’s council meeting

With the future of the Breitling Huntington Beach Airshow hanging in the balance, the City Council on Tuesday will consider ways to provide financial support for this year’s event.

The air show’s operator, AirSupport LLC., is estimated to lose about $350,000 at this year’s event, while last year’s inaugural show lost about $400,000, despite having more than 560,000 attendees.

This year’s show, set to run from Sept. 29 to Oct.1, is expected to cost $975,000.

In late August, the council voted to have city staff look into various ways the city could provide financial support for the event. The list staff composed includes temporary increases in parking rates, the introduction of a recreational vehicle camping pass and deferring public safety payments, a city staff report says.

City staff is proposing doubling the $15 parking fee at all south beach lots and the hourly rates at the Main Promenade Parking Structure, with a maximum daily rate of $30.

A $1,600 recreational vehicle pass would allow camping from Sept. 28 to Oct. 2. According to the report, this is significantly higher than the current rate of $70 per day, but “the promoter believes that this special event rate is quite acceptable.”

These two scenarios are estimated to provide about $100,000 worth of support, the report says.

The council will also consider allowing AirSupport to delay their payments to public safety and city personnel for up to 45 days after the event.

This year’s air show will feature the Blue Angels and the Canadian Snowbirds, a popular military jet demonstration team.

Last year’s event featured the Air Force Thunderbirds and the Breitling Jet Team.

Admission to the show is free. A portion of vendors’ proceeds will go toward the Aerospace Educational Foundation of Huntington Beach, a nonprofit dedicated to fostering education in the aerospace industry.

Annual budget and library Sunday hours

The council will also consider approving a $361.2 million overall budget for the next fiscal year, which begins in October.

The overall budget reflects a 4.5% increase from this year’s budget of $345.5 million, a staff report says.

The proposed general fund budget is $224 million, a 1.6% increase from this year’s $220.4 million budget.

As part of the proposed budget, the Central Library would be open again on Sundays from 1 to 5 p.m. The council has been considering the issue for several months.

The council can choose between a basic $137,950 model that adds the hours onto the existing weekly library schedule, or a $55,450 model that shifts hours on other days during the week to accommodate the Sunday hours, the report says.

The library had been open on Sundays from 1997 to 2010. The reduction to six days a week came during the Great Recession, when money was tight.

Grant for Central Park trail improvement

The council will choose whether to submit an application for the state’s Outdoor Environmental Education Facilities Grant Program to fund improvements to the Central Park trail.

As part of the application, the city will request $100,000 to rehabilitate the trail with added educational signs, the installation of decomposed granite on the trail path and added landscape borders for better demarcation. If the city received the grant, it would be required to match 25%.

“The trail as it stands today is in major need of improvements to better define the path of travel and improve uneven surfaces,” a staff report says.

The meeting will be held at 6 p.m. in the Civic Center Council Chambers at 2000 Main St.

benjamin.brazil@latimes.com

Twitter:@benbrazilpilot