Council averts deep cuts

SNOHOMISH — The city council agreed Tuesday night not to make several deep cuts to the budget in light of the windfall from a recently approved annexation.

The annexation of 142 acres in the Bickford corridor, which passed by a vote of 11 to 6 in the Nov. 5 election, will pull Snohomish out of its deepest financial slump in recent years.

It was also the life preserver for a few city jobs and a drug prevention camp for kids — all slated for the chopping block next year.

"This is a saving grace for us in terms of next year’s budget," city manager Larry Bauman said.

The annexation is expected to generate about $550,000 in sales tax revenue. That money will be used to reinstate programs the city proposed cutting to make up for drooping tax revenue, increasing employee costs and the backlash from voter-approved state initiatives.

The council reinstated funding for the police cadet program, which offers administrative assistance to the police department.

Council members also agreed not to scale back the hours for two City Hall clerks or cut the police reserve program.

The council again will give $6,000 to Camp Hotspot, a summer camp promoting drug and alcohol prevention for children run by the Snohomish Drug and Alcohol Committee.

But the council did not erase all the cuts it planned for next year. Of the $550,000 expected from sales tax, the council reallocated only about $113,000.

Council members want to see how much revenue actually is generated from the new area before spending all the money.

They also want to set aside money to plan for development and infrastructure in the area, such as roads and a sewer system.

"I don’t think we should use all (the money) up," Mayor Cameron Bailey said. "We should use new revenues for planning in the area. It would be foolish to go on a spending spree."

The council is expected to adopt the 2003 budget at its Dec. 3 meeting.

You can call Herald Writer Diana Hefley at 425-339-3463 or send e-mail to hefley@heraldnet.com.