Long Beach commissioners approve 13% budget increase

Long Beach commissioners approve 13% budget increase    Harbor commissioners for the port of Long Beach have adopted a $451 million budget for the upcoming fiscal year that begins Oct. 1.
   The spending blueprint is $52.5 million, or 13 percent more than the current budget, due to capital, environmental and security projects.
   The budget allocates $260.7 million for capital outlays, including $36.7 million for a proposed container terminal at pier S on Terminal Island, and $35 million to complete the 375-acre Total Terminals International facility at pier T.
   The port sets aside another $26 million for clean water and air initiatives, including $500,000 to continue a program to reduce truck congestion. The program promotes efforts to extend gate hours, develop a virtual container yard for empty containers, increase use of on-dock rail and a study of short-haul rail. The port recently spent several million dollars to start a dockside electrification system to power vessels at berth, which usually run onboard air polluting diesel engines, so that they use shore-side power instead. The port said it is committed to spend several more million to retrofit several vessels to hook up to shore-side electric power.
   The port said it plans to spend about $28 million for security, including staff, a video surveillance system, a command and control center, and an incident management system.
   The budget assumes 3.9 percent growth in revenues from terminal leases, to $275.4 million, primarily due to increased volumes of container traffic. Operating expenses will grow 3.5 percent to $190 million. Port management plans to eliminate five of 381 staff positions.