During a presentation Wednesday about the city of Aberdeen’s 2017 budget, Mayor Erik Larson reiterated his recommendations to hire a city administrator and three new police officers.

Larson also seeks to add three other positions to the current city government work force of 168 full and part-time employees. Two of them would be corrections officers to better staff the 18-bed city jail — a move based on the advice of the city’s insurance provider — and the third would be to create a residential renter property inspector to ensure these dwellings throughout the city are safe to occupy.

“We don’t have to hire for the position until we’re ready but it’s something that definitely has to be considered in funding,” Larson said about the rental inspector job and the need to plan for it by including it in the upcoming budget year.

This new position would be financed with general fund money, but empowered to act through upcoming city code that would define minimum maintenance standards for rental properties withing the city.

“I expect that to happen June 17 with a change to the local municipal code,” Larson said.

The city already has asked rental property owners to identify themselves through a licensing program created last year. It began this year.

Money for the corrections officers comes from the jail budget, which is paid for through the city’s general fund. And funding for the three additional police officers would come from the 3/10s- of-a-percent tax collection stream approved by Grays Harbor County voters earlier this year.

Regarding the recommendation to hire late a city administrator late next year, Finance Director Mike Folkers said “there’s only one city in Washington with a population of over 8,000 that doesn’t have a city administrator — and it’s our city.”

New capital improvements slated for next year include work at Fire Department headquarters as well as at City Hall on the roof, elevator and the Finance Department’s front counter.

Total general f und revenues for 2017 are estimated to be nearly $13.8 million while expenditures detailed in the spending plan total slightly more than $14 million. The gap of about $220,000 will be closed with reserve funding to balance the budget.

If Council members approve a budget with all of Larson’s recommendations, there would be 120 days’ worth of reserve funding, Folkers explained.

There will be no increases in costs to customers for water, sewer and storm utilities or ambulance services as well. He also reported that he expects slight growth in both sales and business and occupation taxes collected during 2017.

City Council members approved first reading of the 2017 budget ordinance during their meeting Wednesday.

A budget workshop is planned on Wednesday at 6 p.m. in City Hall. The second budget hearing is slated for Nov. 30 with council members potentially adopting the spending plan on Dec. 14.