The City of McCleary approved a budget for 2017 which includes adjustments to utility rates. Residents will see increases to monthly utility bills beginning in January.
City Public Works Director Todd Baun said the rate increases are necessary to balance shortfallsa across the utilities. Light and power was facing a shortfall of about $200,000, sewer was facing a shortfall of about $73,000, and water was facing a shortfall of about $31,000.
An average monthly utility bill for a residential customer will increase by about $15 or $16, Baun said.
Light and power will increase by 3 percent. Meter service charges also will increase to $15 from $7.05.
Sewer will increase by 3 percent, a $2.40 increase. Water, too, will increase by 3 percent, a $2 increase.
Stormwater rates will increase $1.40, up to $10.40 from $9.
“The rate increases will put the funds into the black,” Baun said after the city council meeting on Nov. 9.
In current expense, expenditures were down some $40,000 for 2017 compared to 2016’s budget.
“The police department did well on expenditures,” Baun said. A new police officer and a new police chief recently were hired, and those salaries do not reflect the tenure pay received by the retired personnel who formerly held those positions.
The death of a former officer receiving LEOFF1 retirement pay also created a decrease in expenditures of about $85,000.
Revenue will increase for 2017 by $80,000, which Baun credited to additional sales tax revenue.
While department requests totalled more than $3.1 million, the city cut more than $2.3 million from the requested budgets. The largest reductions were to utility funds. Baun said capital projects were put on hold to balance the budget.
The current expense fund will end with a surplus of more than $132,000.
A public hearing for the budget on Nov. 9 saw no public comment. All council members were present for the meeting and the budget unanimously was approved.
Mayor Brent Schiller commended city staff for the hard work in preparing the budget.
“Lots of hours they put into this thing,” Schiller said. “Also, thank you to the council. This is the first time we’ve had numerous meetings with a our financial department, every month we’d meet… This has been one of the better times doing the budget since I’ve been here.”
