EDMONDS – The first of two public hearings on the proposed 2005 Edmonds city budget attracted few community members and primarily balanced sides of support and questioning.
The hearing took place Monday, Nov. 1. The second hearing is scheduled for 7 p.m. Tuesday, Nov. 16 in City Council chambers. The budget could be adopted that evening.
“I support accepting this budget,” said community member Don Kreiman, adding that he appreciated the Council adding more parking enforcement for downtown Edmonds into the draft.
Rowena Miller, an Edmonds resident, had several suggestions and questions for the Council.
“While you’re doing the budget, include the utility rates that your planning already to increase,” she said. “It doesn’t seem to me to be fair to the citizens to do the budget piecemeal.”
City finance director Dan Clements said that additional information about the city’s utility rate study also is not yet available because the city of Everett, Edmonds’ wholesale water source, “is going through a fairly substantial rate increase and we still don’t have those new rates.
“A soon as that is concluded, we have consultants working on the rates study, and we’ll bring those forward as soon as possible.”
Miller added that she wished the consultant fees paid by city departments were made clear, and that the Council contingency fund be “clearly delineated and the uses permitted were clear and defined.”
“It’s really tough for a layperson to look at the budget and figure out what all the consultant fees are until after the fact,” Miller said.
Miller also suggested the City Council budget conduct its annual retreat in Edmonds, rather than outside the city as it has in the past.
“You want to increase our sales tax and help our retail people. I don’t see any sense in going somewhere else; we’ve got good caterers and lots of space right here in Edmonds and also it makes it accessible to the public and gives the right kind of impression,” Miller said.
Clements offered answers to some of the questions posed at the hearing.
“One of the issues that is going on now with salaries is that we’re in the middle of bargaining with all of our unions, so we don’t have estimated 2005 salary suggestions,” Clements said.
“If people want more detailed information they just need to ask for it. We’d be happy to provide it.”
To download the proposed draft of the 2005 Edmonds city budget, go to http://www.ci.edmonds.wa.us/.
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