Monroe council approves 2011 budget

Published 7:37 pm Friday, December 17, 2010

MONROE — With some of the toughest cuts already made, the Monroe City Council this week unanimously approved its nearly $10 million budget for 2011.

Mayor Robert Zimmerman congratulated the staff for their work on the city budget. He also thanked the council for the difficult but necessary decisions they made.

“I’m glad to be able to come to a joint conclusion,” Mayor Robert Zimmerman said after Tuesday’s meeting. “While it was difficult, the staff and council acted upon and made difficult decisions this year.”

The city expects to spend $140,000 less in 2011 than it did this year or $9.98 million this year versus a projected budget of $9.84 million next year.

To make the budget work, the council earlier this year cut five positions and left one job vacant next year. Two of those jobs were police officer positions. The city’s workforce decreased to 107 employees.

The city also stopped making an annual payment of $131,700 to the YMCA. It also reduced spending on supplies, training and travel.

The cuts were necessary, because the city needs to pay higher salaries and health care costs, financial manager Dianne Nelson said.

At Tuesday’s meeting, the council also approved a 2 percent rate increase for the city’s 5,500 water users.

The initial proposed increase was of 5 percent, which the council rejected Dec. 7. They unanimously approved the lower increase.

The city expects the higher rate will generate $129,400 more in revenue.

The rate is to cover the increase in costs of water from the city of Everett.

Alejandro Dominguez: 425-339-3422; adominguez@heraldnet.com.