SULTAN – The city decided to keep its own police department this week, opting against contracting with the Snohomish County Sheriff’s Office for police service.
But the city faces budget woes that are forcing city officials to consider other ways to save money, including shutting down the public library, turning off streetlights and other options.
“This is going to hurt the city pretty hard,” Mayor Ben Tolson said.
The city is struggling, but it won’t go bankrupt, city administrator Deborah Knight said.
The city had explored the possibility of contracting with the sheriff’s office after the police department spent about $57,000 over its 2006 budget on overtime hours and hiring temporary officers from other agencies. Sultan’s population is estimated at 4,530 in 2007, according to the state Office of Financial Management.
The police department has eight police officers. The city plans to spend about $100,000 for two ongoing investigations at the police department, Knight said.
One investigation involves alleged misuse of a city computer by a police department employee, Knight said. The Washington State Patrol is handling the case.
The other investigation involves allegations that Police Chief Fred Walser withheld information from the city attorney related to the computer-misuse investigation, Knight said.
The Everett Police Department’s internal affairs unit is handling the investigation. Walser has been on paid administrative leave since June.
The city has seen other unexpected bills in 2007, Knight said. In total, the city expects to spend somewhere between $150,000 and $200,000 more than it had expected this year.
The city’s 2007 budget is about $10.2 million, Knight said. That includes the general fund of $2.2 million, which pays for basic services.
The city also hasn’t received forecast revenues from building permit fees and other development fees, Knight said. That is expected to cause a revenue shortfall of about $270,000 this year.Overall, the city’s general fund is expected to be about $450,000 short, Knight said.
The city’s finance committee is set to discuss solutions for the budget shortfall on July 19. The city also plans to form a citizen advisory group to improve the situation, Knight said.
Actions that the city may take to save money include keeping City Hall open fewer hours, turning off streetlights, stopping maintaining city parks, and eliminating animal control and code enforcement services, Knight said.The city may need to eliminate her job, said Knight, whose annual pay is about $90,000.
“My position is not cheap,” Knight said. “The city needs to look at whether it needs a full-time administrator.”
The city also may have to shut down the Sultan public library in January 2009, Knight said. It owns the building and provides more than $90,000 annually for the Sno-Isle Regional Library System, which runs the library in Sultan.
Jonalyn Woolf-Ivory, the library director of Sno-Isle Library, said that she wants to work with the city to keep the library open.
“No community wants to lose their library,” Woolf-Ivory said.
Options to boost the city’s revenues include raising business and occupation tax, and asking voters to approve a property tax increase in November, city officials said.”We are looking for a long-term solution,” Tolson said.
A property tax increase could be a tough sale for voters, Tolson said. The city unsuccessfully tried to pass a levy increase for the police department twice over the last three years, he said.
Reporter Yoshiaki Nohara: 425-339-3029 or ynohara@heraldnet.com.
Sultan seeks ideas
Sultan wants to form a citizen advisory group to solicit ideas to improve the city’s finances.
Those who are interested in serving may call city administrator Deborah Knight at 360-793-2231.
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