Residents urge greater scrutiny of tidelands fees, moorings and harbor oversight

Several members of the public used the public-comment period at the Feb. 24 meeting to press the city for more transparency and oversight of tidelands management and harbor fees.

Adam Leverens told the council he had submitted correspondence and packet materials and highlighted figures from the city’s annual tidelands statement — including a count of 1,200 moorings, 1,200 residential piers and 1,900 commercial slips — and cited an estimated $1.9 million annual contribution from mooring rental revenue. He said the Coastal State Lands Commission had written to the city about "fee discrepancies and significant disparities" and argued the council should become better informed before decisions that affect coastal access are advanced.

Ann Stenton, representing the Newport Mooring Association, thanked the council for forming a Tidelands Management Committee and requested monthly stakeholder meetings to ensure equitable stewardship and sustained community input.

Council took no immediate action on tidelands changes at the meeting; staff and the new committee are expected to be the points of contact as the city considers next steps. Several speakers linked the tidelands concerns to earlier council votes to raise residential pier and mooring rates and urged deeper public engagement before further policy changes.