LYNNWOOD — Lynnwood’s City Council on Monday approved amendments to its 2009-10 budget. They also approved a construction contract for the new recreation center.
To balance the mid-biennial budget John Moir, finance director, laid out a plan for the city to transfer money from various funds into the general fund and to keep money in the general fund that was bound for other budgets.
Moir said he expects a boost in retail sales tax revenue as the economy begins its slow recovery.
In addition, Moir said a combination of cutbacks that each department budget has undergone, plus managing payroll costs through attrition, will contribute to balancing the budget.
Council members Jim Smith and Lisa Utter voted against the budget amendment.
“This is not a perfect proposal, but we are facing the worst economy in decades,” Councilman Mark Smith said. “I’m not happy to be using funds to balance the budget, but in times like these we have to go outside the normal parameters of operations. We have arrived at the best solution to a bad situation.”
The council also gave the final green light to the construction of the recreation center.
Jim Smith, the lone dissenting vote, voiced his concern that the city should do a modest renovation, opposed to the planned construction.
“This could not come at a worse time,” he said.
Councilman Mark Smith said the recreation center project is “a statement that quality of life is important and that access to parks and recreation is valuable. We can go back and forth on mechanics, but to delay this project won’t impact the budget. Lynnwood is growing from a small suburb to a city.”
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