City to see budget effects

A city budget may be an abstract stack of paper for most residents, but it has real-life consequences. The difference a year makes can be as visceral as holding your nose less in a public bathroom or as visible as a new traffic light.

Oct. 1 marks the beginning of the city’s next fiscal year, as the recently-approved $330 million city budget goes into effect that day. While millions upon millions of dollars are reserved for business as usual and for reserves, some new services and improvements are on their way.

In response to complaints, public restrooms on the beach will be cleaned much more often, City Administrator Penny Culbreth-Graft said.

“We’re increasing the cleaning frequency of downtown restrooms to every two hours at peak times and special events,” she said.

That’s not all the new money going to the beach; some of the $10.7 million for new buildings is set aside to design three new permanent structures on the pier to replace the portable kiosks vendors now use to sell fishing gear, kites and souvenirs. And some more will start the process to build new restrooms at Bluff Top Park near Dog Beach.

Downtown may get a little safer over the next year, Huntington Beach police spokesman Lt. Dave Bunetta said. The department is set to hire four new officers to work in the rapidly growing area.

“We’re actually discussing right now what the timetable is to get those four positions in place,” he said, saying it would definitely be within the year. “Part of that is based on the obvious growth going on downtown, not just Main Street but upcoming projects like Pacific City and the Strand.”

Street construction will continue, with $11.9 million going toward streets and transportation.

Some of that goes to new protected left turn lanes at five intersections: Center Street at Pacific Plaza, Springdale Street at Heil Avenue, Brookhurst Street at Yorktown Avenue, Atlanta Avenue at Magnolia Street, and Atlanta Avenue at Newland Street. New traffic signals will go in at Adams Avenue and Ranger Lane, Bolsa Chica Street and Robinwood Drive, and Goldenwest Street and Rio Vista Drive.

The city’s expanded graffiti reward program will now be fully funded, so $500 will go to anyone whose tip leads to an arrest rather than just a conviction.

Some of that money, then, will go straight to residents.