Council approves fee corrections, committee appointments and forms fiscal-transparency ad hoc

Newport Beach — The City Council on Jan. 27 approved staff-recommended corrections to the Schedule of Rents, Fines and Fees, confirmed two appointments to a water-quality committee and established a Fiscal Transparency Ad Hoc Committee to review finance-committee procedures.

Staff said formatting changes to the SRFF in 2024 inadvertently omitted clarifying notes and reclassified some building and plan-check fees as flat rather than variable; the proposed corrections restore the intended classifications and notes. After brief public comment, the council approved the corrections by unanimous vote.

The council also appointed two citizen members (ballots were cast and terms assigned by motion) to fill two vacancies on the Water Quality/Coastal Highlands Committee; the motion carried 7–0. Later, the council approved creation of an ad hoc committee to evaluate finance-committee practices and procedures and directed that its recommendations return to the full council for public consideration.

Next steps: Staff will update the SRFF document with dated revisions and proceed with onboarding of the new committee members; the ad hoc will meet with staff to develop recommendations for future council action.