Newport Beach Looking at Sharing Services with Other Cities

Newport Beach and two neighboring cities have hired a firm to determine if sharing some public safety services is a viable way to save money and increase efficiency, according to a press release.

Management Partners, Inc. will asses the costs and savings, along with other aspects, of sharing SWAT, lifeguard, jail, animal control and police and fire dispatch services between Newport, Costa Mesa and Huntington Beach, according to the press release published on the Costa Mesa city website. 

"I think it's a wise direction, at least to take a look at it," Newport Beach Councilman Steve Rosansky said. "You can often do things more efficiently on a larger scale."

Sharing services with other cities wouldn't necesarily result in cutting employees, he said. It's possible that people could be moved to other positions and that the end result would be a higher level of service.

Each of the three cities will pay an equal portion of the firm's $81,675 fee, the release said.