Long Beach : 14.8% Hike in Port Budget

Harbor commissioners have approved a budget increase of 14.8% for 1986-87, boosting projected expenditures by the Port of Long Beach to $215.5 million.

The port budget for the fiscal year beginning July 1 now goes to the City Council for final approval. The council usually approves the port budget as submitted, said Paul E. Brown, port budget director.

More than four-fifths of the harbor budget, $174.6 million, is earmarked for construction, land purchase and landfill projects at the crowded and fast-growing port, the West Coast’s largest.

The $215.5-million budget is derived from a projected $97.8 million in port revenue, plus $117.7 million carried over from the current budget, Brown said. About $100 million of that was budgeted for capital improvements this year, but never spent.

The $97.8 million in revenues would be an increase of $11.9 million, or 13.9%. Most of the additional revenue is expected to come from a reconstructed Pier A, where $50 million has been spent to build new terminals and add 24 acres of landfill. The pier is expected to open in June, Brown said.