Yakima City Council looks to the future

YAKIMA, Wash. -- The last meeting of the year for the Yakima City Council ended on a cautionary note Tuesday, thanks to fears about the economy in 2010 and its impact on the city's budget.

But first the council squabbled over its wish list for the upcoming legislative session in Olympia.

It began when Councilman Rick Ensey questioned why a request for $500,000 to renovate the Yakima Police Athletic League facility at Miller Park was on a legislative draft proposal put together by city staff.

"I don't know anything about it," Ensey said, adding, "How did this jump on here?"

In the ensuing discussion, Councilman Bill Lover also complained that he was tired of seeking funding from the state for the "never ending" Downtown Futures Initiative sidewalk replacement project.

"I really feel it's time to move our priorities to another area," he said. "And that area is North First Street."

Council members agreed that cleaning up scruffy North First Street, one of the city's main gateways, should be next on the city's wish list.

But several members of the council argued that the downtown beautification project wasn't yet complete. Most of the side streets still need new sidewalks and street lights. The state so far has awarded the city $10 million on a project once estimated at $17 million.

The project "included the whole core of our downtown," Mayor Dave Edler said. "Now we're saying we're just going to finish this one bit of
A Street next year and we're done? That's not the vision I have for our community and I don't want to declare it to our legislators."

In the end, the council voted 4-3 against an exit date on the project. Voting yes were Edler and council members Maureen Adkison, Kathy Coffey and Dave Ettl. Voting no were Ensey, Lover and Micah Cawley.

The council also unanimously approved the city's 2010 budget, which shrunk over the 2009 budget and represented the city's largest year-over-year reduction in 25 years.

Counting utilities and capital spending, the total budget is just over $193 million. That's 9 percent less than the 2009 budget of $212 million.

The general fund, or tax-supported portion of the budget, came to $59.5 million. That's 4.4 percent less than the amended 2009 budget of just over $62 million.

A large chunk of the reduction comes from the projected use of $1.4 million in reserves. City Manager Dick Zais has warned that such use of reserves cannot be sustained, however.

Ensey said he was happy the budget was balanced without raising property taxes, but Edler suggested dedicated taxing districts may be necessary to protect parks and rebuild the city's crumbling streets.

Also factoring into the mix are fears the state -- which is staring at another huge deficit estimated at over $2 billion -- may slash spending or force local governments to pick up new regulations.

"Should the economy not turn around," Edler warned, "we're going to have a very difficult time next year."

In other business Tuesday, the council:

* Declined a request by State Fair Park to add two members of the Central Washington Fair Association to the Lodging Tax Advisory Committee. In its request, the fair association noted the Yakima Valley Visitors and Convention Bureau has two representatives on the committee.

* Approved a $20,000 contract with the state Department of Ecology to remove beaver dams and other tree debris from a stretch of Wide Hollow Creek. The target is a flood-prone area from 72nd to 80th avenues, including a bridge. The money comes from a parks capital fund and the city's risk-management fund.

* Renewed a $74,000 contract with the Humane Society of Central Washington for impounding stray pets. In a related move, the city also began underwriting an Animal Control officer through the Humane Society via a $37,000 a year contract.

* Raised garbage rates by 3 percent to offset an increase in landfill fees by Yakima County effective Jan. 1. The increase is expected to generate additional revenue of $119,000 and includes bin services and yard waste collection.

* Adjourned until Jan. 5, the first Tuesday of the year, at which time the council will decide whether to reappoint Edler to another two-year term as mayor or pick somebody new from amongst themselves.

* Chris Bristol can be reached at 509-577-7748 or cbristol@yakimaherald.com.