Costa Mesa council to consider extending helicopter contract
COSTA MESA — Huntington Beach’s police helicopter could be patrolling Costa Mesa’s skies for another six months.
The Costa Mesa City Council will decide whether to continue using the service Tuesday night.
At $700 an hour, Costa Mesa would budget $150,000 of its contingency fund to cover the contract with Huntington through June 30.
Costa Mesa tapped its neighbor earlier this year for air support through December, after it grounded its helicopter program, arguing that it was not cost-effective.
Though theHuntington Beach Police Department’s helicopter doesn’t regularly patrol over Costa Mesa, extending the contract with Huntington keeps the helicopter available to help when Costa Mesa police officers request it.
The contract would mark the latest use of Costa Mesa’s $1-million contingency fund, a pot of money created by the City Council for CEO Tom Hatch to spend on unbudgeted costs.
The city has used about $128,000 of the fund so far.
Athletic Complex review
Meanwhile, the overhaul of the TeWinkle Park Athletic Complex could take another step forward Tuesday if the council approves a roster of community members slated to detail the park’s future use.
The task force would have nine members, comprised of city officials, members from the sports groups who use the fields, residents and the Mesa del Mar Homeowners Assn. The group would work with Big League Dreams USA, a private firm picked by the council last month, to overhaul the park.
More outsourcing bids
City officials will also consider putting three more city services out for bid: firefighting, tree maintenance and park and landscape maintenance.
The city is still considering outsourcing its Fire Department to the Orange County Fire Authority, one of the options available in the bidding process.
Tuesday’s meeting is scheduled for 6 p.m. at City Hall, 77 Fair Drive.
Twitter: @JosephSerna