West Plains Cities Undergo Leadership Changes Budget Considerations Face New Mayors Taking The Helm Of Governments In Medical Lake, Cheney, Airway Heights

Thu., Jan. 1, 1998

By Mike Prager mikeprager15@gmail.com (509) 459-5454

Medical Lake Mayor Jim Hill officially assumes office today in a city that now has extra cash to spend.

“I can’t complain about that,” Hill said earlier this week.

He was sworn in Wednesday.

Hill is one of three new mayors taking office this week in cities on the West Plains. He beat incumbent Sharie Stearns last fall in a close election that went to a recount.

In Cheney, Amy Jo Sooy takes office but isn’t nearly as lucky as Hill. Cheney is in the middle of a budget crisis caused by a state-mandated rollback in the electrical utility tax.

Sooy and the City Council must figure out how to manage some $300,000 in budget cuts for 1998. She was was scheduled to meet this week with Cheney City Administrator Jim Reinbold to come up with a proposal for the last of the budget cuts.

The Cheney council is expected to consider the proposal cuts at its next meeting on Tuesday night.

In Airway Heights, incoming Mayor Brian Grady takes over from outgoing Mayor Don Harmon. Growth and a strong tax base have left Airway Heights with a healthy budget for 1998.

In Medical Lake, the City Council approved a balanced $1.6 million general fund budget for 1998, which includes a beginning cash balance of $235,000.

The extra cash is about $85,000 more than the city needs to provide an operating cushion of about 10 percent.

Medical Lake City Administrator Pete Rose said the new council and mayor could spend that money on whatever they wish.

Hill said he wants to meet with city department heads and council members before making any recommendations on how to spend the surplus.

“I don’t want to be too hasty,” he said.

Rose said the city has struggled since 1993 to build its reserves.

“We have to scrimp and save to build the surplus one dollar at a time,” he said. “The outgoing mayor is leaving us in pretty good shape.”

In addition to having the extra cash in the operating fund, the city is also adding money to several reserve accounts.

A contingency account for emergencies is being boosted from $14,000 to $31,000. Money also is being added to accounts for unemployment compensation and sick leave.

The new budget also puts money into accounts for buying new police vehicles and a new fire truck in the year 2000.

Otherwise, the 1998 budget continues existing city services and maintains the current number of city employees.

Hill said one of his goals as mayor is reducing the city’s debt on a proposed new sewer plant by $100,000. The city is planning to build a $14 million sewer plant, which also would serve state facilities at Medical Lake.

High city utility bills were one of the issues in last fall’s city elections, and the cost of the new sewer plant is one of the big reasons for higher rates in recent years.

Residents are going to pay about $70 a month this year for water, sewer and garbage service, but that is roughly the same amount they paid in 1997.

The city budget also calls for a new roof and improvements to the emergency power supply system at City Hall.

Also, computer equipment is being upgraded, and the police department will be getting new police records-management software.

, DataTimes The following fields overflowed: SUPCAT = COLUMN - In/Around: Medical Lake, Cheney, Airway Heights

Local journalism is essential.

Give directly to The Spokesman-Review's Northwest Passages community forums series -- which helps to offset the costs of several reporter and editor positions at the newspaper -- by using the easy options below. Gifts processed in this system are tax deductible.

Meet Our Journalists

Jesse Tinsley

Meet Jesse Tinsley. As a certified drone pilot, this veteran Spokesman-Review photographer often can be seen capturing beautiful aerial photographs of our region. Sometimes though, the job requires getting down with the dogs.
Jim Meehan

Jim Meehan is no stranger to Zag Nation. As the lead writer covering the Gonzaga men’s basketball team, he tells the stories behind the game and gets fans a bit closer to their favorite players.
Molly Quinn

There is no artist in Spokane like Molly Quinn. Her whimsical style is instantly recognizable to readers of The Spokesman-Review. She has painted gorgeous illustrations that instantly elevate the journalism accompanying it. She brings to life the stories that defy photography. She makes our pages better.
Rob Curley

Spokesman-Review editor Rob Curley loves to talk with people and learn about their lives, whether it's a best-selling author or a stranger he meets downtown on his walk to lunch. It's that inquisitive nature combined with a playful sense of storytelling that helps make our newspaper different than most.