By Leslie Moriarty
Herald Writer
SULTAN — City officials have talked about disbanding the city because of a depleted general fund. But the mayor and others backtracked from that idea this week.
Mayor C.H. Rowe said the subject of disincorporation came up last week at a city council meeting.
"The (police) chief (Fred Walser) and I were mostly joking when we said that," Rowe said. "What we said was that without any business here and without a steady income for the city coffers, we might as well disincorporate. But I don’t see that in the foreseeable future."
Rowe said Tuesday that it’s not time to give up on Sultan.
"We’re in a situation of looking for new income while we tighten our belt," Rowe said. "But we’re not going out of business."
City councilman Robert Ostrom said talk of disincorporation is premature.
"Things are very tight," he said. "The public needs to know this is a serious situation we are in. I think the talk of abandoning the city is meant as a way to let them know how serious things are."
Sultan is looking at cutting about $106,000 from its general fund because of a lack of new building permits and state income tax equalization funds, said Rowe and city clerk Laura Koenig.
City council members have talked about cuts in the police budget, including laying off some officers, but the department has offered to take pay and benefit cuts to keep all 12 officers employed. The union is expected to approve that offer before next week, which would save about $60,000.
Koenig said she is preparing a budget amendment that will be the subject of a public hearing at 6:30 p.m. Oct. 3 at the Community Center, 319 Main St.
The council’s finance committee also has suggested moving $76,689 of expenditures from the general fund to other city funds. That move, Koenig said, takes various costs, such as paying the city attorney and the mayor, and breaks up their salaries into other funds. The rationale is that the mayor and city attorney work for all departments.
Part of the financial problem is unfilled positions that require work to be contracted out to private companies. The city’s costs of taking criminals to court and paying for jail time has doubled. Utility costs also have gone up.
But there have been savings in some departments, including Koenig’s, where $41,176 has been saved by not filling a position. All departments have taken hits, including fewer equipment purchases, no training and no travel.
Koenig said this is not the time for the city to consider disbanding.
"You don’t just shut the doors because of some financial problems," she said. "You work it out."
If Sultan were to disincorporate, it would be the first city to do so in 35 years, said Jim Doherty, a spokesman for Municipal Research, a Seattle-based organization that studies municipalities.
"In recent years, the only city or town to even talk about it has been Skykomish," he said.
You can call Herald Writer Leslie Moriarty at 425-339-3436
or send e-mail to moriarty@heraldnet.com.
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