Newport Beach reduces dock rates

NEWPORT BEACH — Boating interests in Newport Beach earned a key victory Feb. 10, with the City Council voting to reduce dock rates for those who own U-shaped residential piers in the harbor. In a 4-1 vote, the Newport Beach City Council reduced the annual fee for U-shaped residential piers to 50 cents per square foot. The new rate, which is 2.5 cents lower than the current rate, will become effective in 2017 and would only apply to a pier’s surface area. The water area inside a U-shaped pier would not be included in a fee assessment. Mayor Ed Selich and Councilman Marshall Duffield, who both have ownership interests in Newport Harbor, recused themselves from voting on this agenda item. Selich stated he owns a residential dock; Duffy operates a boating business in the harbor. Residential pier owners could save a combined $117,469 once the new fee goes into effect. The council and residential pier owners raised questions of equity and fairness. Councilman Kevin Muldoon, for example, said homeowners should not be assessed a fee for the water area within the U-shaped pier. Such a fee would be unfair, he said, because residential pier owners are not entitled to exclusive ownership of the water. “In no...