MOUNTLAKE TERRACE — With the city’s five-year financial plan already in place, the Mountlake Terrace City Council was able on Dec. 20 to pass a nearly $95 million 2005-06 city budget with relative ease.
While some program and service cuts were considered, such as money for community donations and keeping the full time police officer at Mountlake Terrace High School, the council opted to keep them in the budget for now.
To increase revenue, the council did invoke the state allowable 1 percent increase in property tax and raised the emergency transport fees over the next two years.
According to Scott Hugill, the city’s administrative services director, the general fund budget is about $36 million for the next two years.
The 2005 portion has about $2 million more budgeted than last year, Hugill said, to cover planned replacement of several water and sewer lines throughout the city.
The repairs are a short-term fix and in the long term, the council may decide to raise utility rates, Hugill said. The council voted against raising utility rates in 2004 and has discussed separating the utilities to consider individual rate increases and avoid across-the-board hikes.
The increase in property tax will cost a property owner about $4 more a year on a home with an assessed valuation of $200,000, Hugill said.
Emergency transport fees are charged to a person who has been taken to a hospital by emergency medical personnel from the fire department.
There are two levels of this transport, basic, when the person isn’t in a dire medical situation, and advanced, when the medical need is more serious. There are different costs and fee increases for each service.
The cost for a BLS transport in 2004 was $297. In 2005 the cost will raise to $305 and $315 in 2006, Hugill said.
The cost for an ALS transport in 2004 was $488. In 2005 it was raised to $503 and will go to $518 in 2006, Hugill said.
Lynnwood and Edmonds do not charge transport fees.
Another revenue increase will come from the recreation department with a combination of new and higher fees, Hugill said.
In addition to this, Mountlake Terrace also uses its gambling tax to subsidize its street maintenance.
“This allows us to do a basic level of service there,” said City Manger Connie Fessler. A portion of the gambling tax also supports the police department, she added.
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