LYNNWOOD — People who live in Lynnwood will have a new way to communicate with the people who pave their streets, approve or nix their business signs and decide what can be built on their block.
The Office of Neighborhoods and Community Affairs was created by the City Council last week to consolidate several public-relations related functions, such as the city newsletter and civic events, as well as increase access and understanding of government. Having a single place to go can help that cause, proponents said.
“It can be almost like an ombudsman, if people want to know something or have more information,” said City Councilman Ted Hikel, who voted for the new office.
The question is whether the new office will better serve the residents and whether the $88,000 a year allocated for a new staff position will be enough to sustain the idea.
Residents have always been able talk to staff members who work most closely with the issues and can give definitive answers, said City Councilwoman Lisa Utter, the lone council member to vote against the plan.
“They’re likely to get a better answer that way,” she said.
Boards and commissions, including the city’s Diversity Commission, will come under the new department’s umbrella. The new department will also be responsible for civic events, city newsletter, volunteers, surveys and programs aimed at increasing neighborhood involvement and service to neighborhoods.
The Office of Neighborhoods is one of several budget amendments the City Council approved Dec. 14 at a special meeting. Other notable changes included approval of $575,000 City Center project study, director of community affairs, probation officer and a part-time city council assistant.
The changes represent about 2 percent of the city’s $118 million biennium budget for 2005-2006, according to interim finance director Pat Dugan.
“This is fine tuning the details,” Dugan said. “The bulk of it is one-time type of expenditures. With revenues coming in, they are more comfortable funding them.”
The city is expecting to receive at least $1.3 million in additional revenue in 2006, Dugan said. In particular, there is more retail sales activity this year than previously predicted and it is expected to continue next year.
The city’s 2005-2006 general fund, which operates the city’s day to day activities, dropped by $500,509 to $72.8 million. The city saved money in city employee health and pension benefits by working with the Association of Washington Cities, Dugan said.
The Council’s goal was to keep at least $4 million in reserves next year, Dugan said. The biennium budget as adopted will keep about $5 million in reserves, according to a conservative financial forecast.
The Council did not approve every budget request from the mayor’s office, Council members or staff. A city center project manager, three firefighters, a $74,000 boost for police patrols and investigations and $10,000 for a bigger fireworks display did not make the final cut.
Here are highlights of the budget amendments:
Community Development: $45,000 for a part-time permit technician and $20,000 to archive city records on microfilm.
Courts: $30,000 for equipment to scan court documents and $51,000 to hire a second probation officer.
Executive: $30,000 for a part-time city council assistant and $15,000 education and travel fund for volunteer board and commission members.
Fire: $28,500 for equipment to rescue people trapped inside of a collapsed building.
Parks and Recreation: $17,000 to catalog and place historical markers at city historical landmarks and $15,000 for a senior center bus driver.
Police: $13,600 for a moving target system for training.
Public works: $750,000 for street overlays and maintenance, $365,000 for traffic signal maintenance and upgrades and $200,000 for a city-wide transportation plan.
Bill Sheets, a reporter at The Herald, contributed to this report.
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