Plan Calls For Spending $112 Million Council To Consider City’s Proposed ‘97 Budget, Which Would Rise $4 Million
Spokane Acting City Manager Bill Pupo will unveil the city’s proposed 1997 spending plan tonight.
The draft calls for $112 million in general government spending - about $4 million more than this year, Pupo said.
More than half the increase can be traced to a state law that will take effect Jan. 1, he said. It shifts the cost of prosecuting misdemeanors from the county to the city.
Saying he doesn’t want to “blindside” City Council members who haven’t seen the draft budget, Pupo refused to disclose specifics about the spending proposal.
Pupo did say the “major challenge” for 1997 is finding a way to pay for street resurfacing.
In September, voters turned down a proposed $37.3 million bond issue to repave about 46 miles of arterials and four miles of residential streets.
The defeat left officials scrambling to find money for the work.
Another uncertainty in next year’s budget is the amount of salary increases. Seven of eight city unions are negotiating contracts.
But the draft spending plan does not include salary increases for top managers, Pupo said.
Also tonight, the council is expected to:
Consider a $50,000 to $60,000 contract with Coopers & Lybrand of San Francisco, a national accounting firm. The contract calls for a four- to six-week study of the financial feasibility of the proposed River Park Square project downtown, said Pete Fortin, deputy city manager.
About $10,000 of the contract’s cost will come from the city’s community development money. The rest will be loaned to the city by area economic development organizations, including Momentum, the Spokane Area Chamber of Commerce and the Economic Development Council, Fortin said.
These groups will be repaid from the $23.8 million federal loan the city and River Park Square’s owners have applied for to pay for part of the $100 million redevelopment project.
Discuss a proposed contract with the Spokane Shadow to use Albi Stadium for soccer games.
Acknowledge that three neighborhoods - Cannon Hill Addition, Emerson Garfield and Nevada Lidgerwood - have created neighborhood councils.
The councils - an idea pushed by Mayor Jack Geraghty - are designed to be information funnels connecting City Hall and residents. Neighborhood council members will represent their neighborhoods before the City Council.
A briefing for council members will begin at 3:30 p.m. in the lower-level conference room of City Hall, 808 W. Spokane Falls Blvd. The council meeting will begin at 6 p.m.
, DataTimes MEMO: This sidebar appeared with the story: MEETING City Council to meet today at 6 p.m. at City Hall.