Long Beach council approves temporary battery storage moratorium, several contracts and budget notices; tight debate over police renovation costs

The City of Long Beach City Council on Tuesday adopted a one-year moratorium on the establishment of battery energy storage systems, approved a suite of procurement and contract items and published the schedule for upcoming budget and capital plan hearings. Council members also approved a change order increasing the police department renovation contract after a lengthy debate over cost and timing.

Supporters said the moratorium will give the city time to evaluate fire-department training and equipment needs and whether local zoning must be updated before such facilities are sited in Long Beach. Councilmember John Reinhart, who introduced the moratorium resolution, cited concerns about lithium-ion thermal runaway, multi-day fires at some storage sites elsewhere and the city’s dense, waterfront setting. The council adopted the resolution by voice vote.

The city also received a proposed fiscal year 2025–26 budget from the acting city manager and set two public hearings on the budget and capital improvement program: May 6 at 7 p.m. and May 20 at 7 p.m., with a special meeting reserved for May 27 if needed. City Clerk Dave Frasier reviewed the charter timetable that requires the budget be ratified by May 31.

On procurement and contract matters, the council: - Authorized the city manager to purchase t-shirts and athletic apparel from the lowest responsible bidders (multiple awards to seven vendors were recommended); staff said actual orders are typically much lower than the bid maximums and last year the city ordered 1,745 units. - Approved a one-year amended-and-restated agreement with Passport Labs Inc. for parking summons collection; the revenue share in the contract increases from 8.5% to 12.5% for routine collections, with vendors retaining 35% for matters that go to third‑party collections. Passport will also supply additional handheld summons devices and printers valued at roughly $21,000; staff reported about $406,000 in parking collections last year. - Authorized two outside SEQR (State Environmental Quality Review Act) consulting firms — identified in the solicitation as PW Grocer and Hardesty & Hanover — to serve on retainer to prepare environmental reviews for large projects; the firms’ costs are drawn from developer-funded retainer accounts and the arrangement is cost-neutral to the city. - Authorized a sanitary sewer replacement contract for West Pine Street (Magnolia to Laurelton) with United Paving Corporation using sewer upgrade capital funds.

The council approved a resolution allowing the city manager and the city controller to transfer budget funds between line items without additional council votes for the 2024–25 fiscal year; one councilmember voted no, citing concerns about charter oversight and requesting more frequent reporting. City Controller Ina Reznik said transfers happen within departmental budgets and staff will provide reports; she said there is no single dollar cap because significance depends on both absolute dollars and percentage relative to a department’s budget.

Most contentious was Item 8, a change order to increase a previously authorized purchase order for ongoing police department renovations. The project originally carried a construction and equipment price of about $484,000, with a $355,000 Nassau County grant covering much of the base scope. During demolition contractors discovered additional conditions — electrical, HVAC and other work — that the city’s project manager and public-works staff recommended address now to avoid higher costs and repeated disruption later. The council was presented with a roughly $318,000 increase in local costs for additional work (including a $240,613 line for building improvements and an itemized set of upgrades that included dispatch and equipment improvements). Supporters argued combining the new scope with the ongoing contract saves money versus rebidding and prevents further disruptions to police operations this summer; opponents called the late scope increase poor planning and expressed concern about hitting taxpayers with a large, unplanned bill. The council approved the change order; two members explicitly voiced that they were voting no on fiscal principle while others voted yes, noting the work was planned in next year’s capital program and doing it now was cost-efficient.

Public comment highlights included a resident request to tighten enforcement of outdoor amplified music in the West End and installation of visible decibel meters at restaurants; a Shore Road resident asked about an illegal curb cut and was told the building department had issued a notice of violation and staff would follow up; and beachgoers raised concerns about the placement of beach ticket booths and potential pedestrian bottlenecks. Staff pledged follow-ups on each issue.

Votes at a glance (council roll-call votes as recorded during the meeting): - Item 1 — Temporary moratorium on battery energy storage systems: Adopted (unanimous recorded vote). - Item 2 — Purchase of t-shirts and sports apparel (multiple awards): Adopted (unanimous recorded vote). - Item 4 — Publication of proposed budget and capital-plan summaries and public hearing dates: Adopted (unanimous recorded vote). - Item 5 — Amended and restated agreement with Passport Labs: Adopted (unanimous recorded vote). - Item 6 — SEQR consultant agreements (two firms): Adopted (unanimous recorded vote). - Item 7 — Authorization for city manager/controller to transfer funds within the 2024–25 budget: Adopted (recorded vote: one no). - Item 8 — Increase amount of previously authorized purchase order for police renovations (change order adding ~ $318,000 local cost): Adopted (recorded vote: multiple yes, at least one no noted in debate). - Item 9 — Sanitary sewer replacement contract (West Pine Street): Adopted (unanimous recorded vote).

Councilmembers and staff said they will post relevant contract documents, the proposed budget and final award details on the city website. The council closed the meeting after a short public-comment period and adjourned to its next regular meeting in three weeks.