PF revenue projections reduced
City must cut $92,000 from 2009 budget
POST FALLS – Post Falls officials have been scrambling in recent weeks to cut $92,000 from the city’s 2009 budget after the state recently reduced revenue projections for the city.
Department heads had requested about $3 million in additional personnel, operating expenses and equipment above and beyond their 2008 budgets.
Revenue issues are largely tied to slowing growth in the city. Building permits are down and so is the revenue that accompanies them.
In July the city only issued 14 permits for single-family homes. That’s down from 54 in July 2007. So far this year the city has issued only 108 home building permits compared with 378 by this time last year.
The drop in growth and its accompanying revenue means that most city departments will have to make do with what they have.
The Police Department will be the only one to get any more hires, and that’s only because the City Council has agreed to collect about $260,000 in taxes foregone in previous years. That money will pay for two more officers and a detective.
Some departments, however, are not only being denied their requests, but are also having to absorb some cuts.
To make up the $92,000 shortfall, City Administrator Eric Keck and Finance Director Shelly Enderud eliminated a vacant building inspector position in the Community Development Department.
“The thing we’re trying to avoid is a situation where we have to do layoffs,” Keck said.
A $16,000 line item to partner with Post Falls School District to buy new bleachers for Mullan Trail Elementary was slashed, as was about $3,000 in additional funding for books, music and other items at the Post Falls Library.
“Unfortunately I cut them back to their level for this fiscal year,” Keck said.
Keck also cut the Parks, Recreation and Cemeteries Department’s budget for park equipment and the Police Department’s uniform budget.
The City Council will discuss the budget at its Tuesday meeting, at which time it is scheduled to vote on a tentative budget. There will be no public comment on the budget, however, until a budget hearing in September.
In addition to the cuts, the city is increasing some fees, including doubling the dog licensing fee from $6 per year to $12 per year for spayed or neutered dogs and from $12 per year to $24 for nonaltered dogs.
If approved by the City Council, water and wastewater rates will go up 4.5 percent.