A city charter amendment that would change how the Port of Long Beach transfers funding to the city’s Tidelands Fund will be placed on the Nov. 2 ballot, allowing voters to have the ultimate say on the matter.
The city council’s decision to place the matter in residents’ hands came during a heated Aug. 4 council meeting, where city and port officials squared off on opposite sides of the issue. Under the proposed charter amendment, the port would be required to give the city 5 percent of its gross revenue. The port currently provides the city up to 10 percent of its net operating revenue.
Harbor Commissioner Susan Wise discussed the port’s various contributions to the city and argued the proposed charter amendment would “essentially take money off the top.”
“This issue is not new,” Mayor Foster said. “No one is trying to gouge the port.”