NEWPORT BEACH : City Looks for Ways to Trim the Budget

Newport Beach’s estimated $90-million 1992-93 city budget was a key topic again for the City Council last week, as members poured over the hefty document department by department and suggested short- and long-term changes to save money.

Though Newport Beach will raise and spend about $10 million less in 1992-93 than it did the previous year, unlike many cities, it is not facing harrowing cutbacks and employee layoffs.

Still, officials have concerns about local effects of the national economic downturn, and council members last week tossed around money-saving ideas.

Council has been discussing the budget for the past month and set a public hearing on the city’s finances for its next meeting, June 8.

A suggested revenue-saving measure was to streamline the building permit process to reduce the steps builders go through to obtain building permits.

Fire Chief Timothy D. Riley also discussed overhauling his department’s administration, a measure that would require some new employees but would increase efficiency and save the city money in the long haul, he said.

Other strategies for the long term included a fee-based paramedics system, in which residents who join would pay an annual fee for paramedic usage. Though it is unlikely to be incorporated into the upcoming budget, the proposal drew a generally favorable reaction from the council, which asked for further study on it.

A comic aside on budget talks of the past two weeks has been nearly every department’s request for new copy machines, which most often has been accompanied by a report from the department director describing the notorious ill-working machine in their office.