RSSCity Council votes for additional budget cuts
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YAKIMA, Wash. -- Yakima City Council members will seek to balance a $2.2 million budget shortfall without relying on reserves, they decided Tuesday night in a unanimous vote.
And the panel will also follow a planning model that makes cuts proportionate to each division's percentage of the budget.
That sets the stage for the largest cuts to come from the public safety section of the budget, nearly 70 percent of the city's tax-supported revenue.
Police officers and firefighters are the most visible positions under that funding, but mandated services include the clean air authority, some court functions and the public defender's office.
City Manager Dick Zais told the council that the shortfall could grow. He expects to revise budget predictions every week to
10 days through the end of the year.
A Friday budget packet presented to the council had to be changed because the city learned that state funding for high-crime jurisdictions would be cut -- $150,000 for this year and $300,000 next year.
Mayor Micah Cawley has said that he still does not expect any police officers to be laid off.
But other council members expressed concerns over pending contract negotiations with police, fire and other union workers. The council already rejected a proposed contract that would have given firefighters a raise.
Under a formula passed two weeks ago, the council restricted how much reserve money could be used to balance the budget.
That meant no more than $900,000 would have been available anyway from reserves. Zais predicted that no reserves would be available under the formula in 2012.
The full council will begin holding budget meetings in October. A balanced budget must be approved by the end of the year.
In other business, the council:
* Confirmed that it will hold a hearing Sept. 7 on a hearing examiner denial of a license request for a strip club on South First Street. The meeting will be at 7 p.m.
at City Hall. Under the appeal guidelines, the panel will not be accepting new information on the proposal.
* Set a Sept. 9 date for public testimony on the best form of government for the city. The council has held preliminary discussions on whether to switch from a council-manager form of government to a strong mayor.
* Mark Morey can be reached at 509-577-7671 or mmorey@yakimaherald.com.
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