Cheney City Council Oks Budget Cuts But Saves Jobs

The Cheney City Council on Tuesday approved new cuts for the city’s 1998 general budget but refused to eliminate jobs.

The council voted to use $40,000 from the city’s cash carry-over to continue the police department’s drug education program in schools next fall.

That money also will pay for the full-time employment of one custodian, as opposed to reducing the job to half-time.

The council voted 5 to 2 in favor of the changes.

Council members Eileen Wahl and Barbara Boots voted no because they said they were concerned about the reduction of cash reserves, which are used for emergencies.

Because of the concerns, the council voted unanimously to maintain a minimum of $60,000 as a reserve for emergencies, said Mayor Amy Jo Sooy.

Tuesday’s action resolves a budget crisis that started last year when the state auditor ruled the city was overtaxing customers of the city-owned electrical utility by some $300,000.

Last fall, the city council attempted to blunt the loss of revenue by raising taxes on other city-owned utility services.

But the plan backfired when tax opponents filed a referendum petition objecting to the increases in water, sewer and garbage rates. The council subsequently rescinded those proposed tax increases, setting up the need for Tuesday’s vote on additional cuts.

The budget changes included a series of proposals from Mayor Sooy, who promised during her campaign last fall to make Cheney government more efficient.

“We cannot go through next year this way,” she said. “This cannot be the way we continue our budgeting.”

Sooy said she’s ordered a hiring freeze and wants to look at ways the city can reduce the size of its staff through attrition.

The city may consider an early retirement program to help in the reorganization, she said.

Also, Sooy asked the council to consider reducing the amount of money the city general fund pays city utility funds for watering the parks and lighting the streets. The council agreed to consider that idea to save money in the general fund.

In all, the city had to trim about $167,000 from its $4 million general fund for services like police, fire, streets and parks, she said.

Travel was eliminated. Contributions to equipment reserve funds were suspended for 1998. Maintenance projects were held up for one year. A road project was put on hold pending the receipt of grant money.

Sooy had proposed cutting a police officer used for the Drug Awareness and Resistance Education program after school is out in June. The council opted to use cash reserve to continue paying for that position, she said.

Sooy rejected earlier proposals to park the fire ladder truck, shut off park sprinklers and stop the city’s animal control program.

The city was able to continue those programs, in part, because sales taxes collections and other revenues increased at the end of 1997.

, DataTimes