Liberty Lake 2009 budget delayed
The Liberty Lake City Council voted unanimously Tuesday to postpone adoption of the 2009 budget until the next meeting on Dec. 16 because the proposed budget ordinance before the council didn’t include line items, only a listing of total proposed department and fund amounts.
“I’m not going to vote on this tonight,” said council member Brian Sayrs, who wanted the ability to make adjustments to proposed line items. “It’s not ready.”
The budget of $12.3 million must be approved by Dec. 31. The budget before the council Tuesday had been trimmed by more than $805,000 from the original budget proposed by Mayor Wendy Van Orman in November.
“We’ve had to make changes,” said administrative services manager Jessica Platt. The city has received new data projecting decreases in property tax and sales tax collections in 2009. The council also refused to approve the maximum allowed 1 percent increase to its property tax collections at the previous meeting, which resulted in the loss of $16,000.
Overall, the mayor proposed cuts to public art and the street fund, while individual departments were also asked to make cuts. “Capital projects not funded by grants, including the arboretum and ball fields, were put on hold,” Platt said. The two projects account for $450,000. The projects that remain, phase two of Rocky Hill Park and the new skate park, have received or are expected to receive grant money that requires matching funds.
One of the most controversial proposed cuts was to reduce the city employee cost of living increase from 5.9 percent to 3.9 percent. Traditionally, the city has given city employees the same cost of living raise negotiated by the police union, which is 5.9 percent for 2009. Council member David Crump acknowledged that the 5.9 percent increase “raised eyebrows” at the last meeting, he thought it was important to keep all city employees at the same level. “It does not keep us whole as a city,” he said of the pay cut.
Instead, Crump proposed cutting yet more money from public art and putting it toward restoring some of the pay cut. “Public art has $10,000,” he said. “That gives a 1 percent increase. You can talk priorities. We have created two (employee) groups. Are we happy with the difference between the two groups?”
Crump said he was in no rush to pass the budget this week. “I do not believe in balancing your budget on the backs of your employees,” he said.
Another proposed change that generated a lot of discussion was taking the superintendent of parks and golf and the assistant superintendent of parks and golf positions and making a superintendent of parks and superintendent of golf. The change would require about $8,000 more from the budget.
“Is that a necessity, when we have changes to the budget already?” asked council member Patrick Jenkins.
The move makes sense, said Crump, because of the parks and open space Liberty Lake has been adding. Maintaining the parks now requires more time and attention than it used to. “We’re putting in another huge park and a new development,” he said.
Crump said he has surprised by the amount of cuts the mayor is calling for. “I was just taken aback by the devastation to our budget,” he said. “It just caught me off guard.”
Other cuts included in the new proposed budget include the loss of two reserve police officers requested by police chief Brian Asmus. Though reserve officers are volunteers, the department would have had to spend money for training and a background check.
The library has cut $4,000 from its book buying budget and will lose an employee mid-year, library director Pamela Mogen said after the meeting. “Our children’s librarian is leaving at the end of August and we’re not going to be able to replace her. That’s tough, especially since we have such an extensive children’s program.” It’s likely that some children’s programs will be cut, she said.
City staff has made an effort to craft a conservative budget, Platt said. “We’re running into uncertain times.”
In other business, the council got its first look at an ordinance that calls for banking the 1 percent property tax increase the council voted down at the previous meeting. The move will protect future levy capacity, Platt said.