MC budget adds police, keeps planner

MILL CREEK — Four police officers will be hired and a senior planner will remain on the payroll after some fine-tuning by City Council, which voted 6-1 for the 2011-12 biennium budgets Dec. 14.

Councilman Terry Ryan dissented. He left the meeting prior to the vote and participated in the discussion and vote via telephone.

The $20.3 million budget shows the city maintaining reserves of more than $5 million.

Prior to approving the budget, council added and adjusted items totaling $636,539. To pay for the changes, officials increased property taxes by 1 percent for 2011, bringing an additional $50,000 that year, and transferred money from the annex building and general fund reserves.

Among changes to the proposed budget:

• Allocating $425,000 to fill four vacant police officer positions

• Adding back $131,368 to spare one senior planner for one year

• Adding vacation cash-outs related to layoffs, costing $7,500

• Removing a surface water project for which grant funding fell through

• Transferring $28,000 from the general fund to the Park and Recreation fund

Council members were divided on retaining the planner as well as two positions from the building department — a building inspector ($178,465) and a permit coordinator ($31,185).

Councilwoman Donna Michelson said it didn’t sit right that the council couldn’t do the same for other departments as it did for police and planning. “I feel very strongly that we’re not funding two positions we need,” she said.

Ryan said he couldn’t understand why the community development and building departments are staffed at the same level as they were back in the city’s heyday. “I just can’t see funding all of that for two years,” he said.

Councilwoman Kathy Nielsen said they’re needed to craft a strategic plan. “Why do we have so many staff? Because we need them.”

Councilman Bart Masterson said the economy is turning around. “You don’t get rid of the people who got you here,” Masterson said.

Expenses restored to the Police Department included retaining the domestic violence advocate position ($21,300), citizen’s patrol ($5,000) and animal control ($17,000).

Burns and Finance Director Landy Manuel presented the city’s proposed budget Oct. 5. The proposed budget had included layoffs and reductions from several departments. Layoffs and reduced services were recommended in light of slumping general fund revenues. The proposed budget had assumed voters would approve two liquor initiatives and council would not approve the 1 percent property tax increase.