EVERETT — Mayor Ray Stephanson’s budget proposal for 2017 is largely a continuation of this year’s spending plan, without making any major changes.
The $331.5 million city budget for 2017 is $6.8 million, or about 2 percent, higher than the 2016 budget.
Stephanson delivered his proposal to the Everett City Council on Wednesday.
“My budget includes important enhancements to our city’s infrastructure and public amenities, and continues our investments in public safety and housing aimed at creating long-term solutions for street-level social issues,” Stephanson said.
The budget includes $131.7 million in general government expenses, which includes the day-to-day operations of the city and salaries. The rest of the budget is kept in funds earmarked for specific functions, such as Everett Transit, utilities, and debt service.
Under the proposal, the city staff is expected to grow by eight full-time-equivalent positions in the coming year to 1,191.33 positions. The added employees would be spread among several departments, including Public Works and Utilities, Information Technology and Administration.
As a whole, the budget keeps funding for most programs steady. The largest single increase in proposed spending is in Everett Transit, where expenses are expected to go up $2.2 million to $28.1 million. That’s about an 8.5 percent increase over the 2016 budget.
Part of that increase includes a few large projects Everett Transit is planning for the coming year, such as improvements to bus stops on Broadway and a new transit operations center, city spokeswoman Meghan Pembroke said.
The budget also includes a little more money in reserve funds: one fund dedicated to maintenance of city facilities got a small boost to $2 million compared with an appropriation of $1.7 million in the 2016 budget. Since these are reserve funds, unspent money is often carried forward into the next year, Pembroke said.
The city still is working to rein in its longer term structural deficits caused by expenses outpacing revenues.
With each passing year, however, city revenues have been catching up, and the projected deficits have gotten incrementally smaller and their rate of growth has slowed.
In 2015 the city undertook several measures, including utility tax hikes, car tab fees and cuts to personnel, to reduce a deficit that was expected to grow to $21 million by 2018.
Those initial measures reduced the expected deficit to $10.9 million by 2018. Continued cost controls mean the 2018 deficit now is projected to be $6.4 million, although it is still expected to grow to $15 million by 2021, according to figures supplied by the city.
In his presentation, Stephanson listed several highlights of the past year and year to come:
New private projects are expected to boost the city’s economy, including the new Courtyard by Marriott Hotel, new houses in the Riverfront development, construction starting in the Port of Everett’s Waterfront Place development, and even the delayed Farms & Market at Potala Place scheduled to open in January.
Infrastructure projects are expected to yield more long-term benefits, such as improving traffic around the port, building new sidewalks and other pedestrian-friendly features downtown, continued work to separate sewers from stormwater drains in north Everett, and expansion of the Evergreen Branch of the Everett Public Library.
Programs targeting homelessness are continuing, including the expected start of construction in the fall on a 70-unit apartment building. The city has earmarked $200,000 in 2017 to fund around-the-clock support services for the residents.
Chris Winters: 425-374-4165; cwinters@heraldnet.com. Twitter: @Chris_At_Herald.
Budget hearings
The Everett City Council plans hearings on the proposed 2017 budget Wednesday and Nov. 9. The hearings are scheduled to start at 6:30 p.m in the Historic City Hall building, 3002 Wetmore Ave.
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