Commissioners received an update on long-term marina projects — including funding for dredging, an unresolved breakwater decision, and ongoing community-level conversations about a port district.

Nut graf: With the city council’s recent passage of a business-and-occupation (B&O) tax, staff and commissioners said the dredging program appears fundable, but the breakwater replacement versus repair remains unsettled and will require engineering design and possible coastal evaluation work. Commissioners also discussed how a port district might figure into the marina’s long-term governance and asset-management options.

City staff reported the council has approved the B&O tax; staff said that, together with bonding authority and other potential revenue sources (lodging-tax funding and a proposed utility tax or dredge-fee increase), the dredging project can likely be covered. The commission heard that a planned coastal evaluation plan — once estimated at about $50,000 by the engineering firm — may no longer be a required standalone step, but engineering design and detailed options for the breakwater are still pending.

A staff member clarified the engineering firm is talking about replacing the existing floating-dock-style breakwater with a different floating-breakwater design rather than replacing it with a fixed rock structure. Commissioners emphasized the lack of final plans: "We have no concrete plans" was the description used during the meeting.

Council member Barbara Armes said the council is aware the marina will need additional future funding and that officials are discussing the port-district option as a possible long-term governance path. Staff clarified that a citizen petition (10% of voters from the last election) is the county process to create a port district; once created, transfer of assets would be a separate and more complicated step.

Ending: Staff said they will continue pursuing grant applications, lodging-tax funding and other sources, and that more specific engineering work and cost estimates for the breakwater will be necessary before a definitive decision on repair versus replacement is possible.