Newport council approves sister‑city supplement, reallocates funds for senior‑center roof

The Newport City Council on Jan. 20 voted to add $12,000 from transient room lodging tax to the sister‑city committee budget and to reallocate $25,000 from a recreation‑center roof replacement project to repair the 60+ center patio roof.

Katie Jacobson, chair of the sister city committee, told the council the group is marking the 60th anniversary of its relationship with Monbeth's Japan and expects visiting adults in May and outgoing youth in July. "We have 14 kids apply for the youth ambassador program," Jacobson said, adding the committee expects to select roughly eight youth and needs funding this fiscal year for travel and related activities. The council approved a supplemental request of $12,000 from the transient room lodging tax after brief questions about fund availability.

The request was moved and seconded from the council dais and carried by voice vote. Council members asked about the transient-room tax balance; a councilor noted the fund was down about 4% this year while the city manager estimated approximately $400,000 remained unappropriated, indicating the $12,000 supplement would be available without adjusting other adopted programs.

Parks and recreation director Mike Cavanaugh briefed council on a separate funding reallocation tied to maintenance at the 60+ center. "We initially thought that was gonna be a full replacement project," Cavanaugh said of the recreation-center roof budget, which was originally sized at $850,000. He reported the patio roof that serves as a roof for downstairs space is leaking; a contractor estimate for repairs to the patio roof was "just a little under $8,000," but the city expects additional underlying damage such as soft spots and possible mold remediation.

Councilor Hall moved to reallocate $25,000 from the recreation center roof replacement project to complete the 60+ center patio flat roof replacement; the motion was seconded and carried by voice vote. Cavanaugh said engineering will work with a contractor to schedule the work and that weather will affect the start date.

The council also approved the consent calendar and a set of amended committee assignments in separate, voice-vote motions during the meeting. The city manager's office said it will follow up on the sister‑city and roof project next steps and return information to the council as needed.

Actions recorded at the meeting will be implemented by the appropriate departments; staff told council they will circulate timelines and procurement details for the roof work and provide budget-line detail for the sister‑city supplement if requested.