Yakima City Council surveys spending priorities

YAKIMA, Wash. -- Department heads will brief the City Council on their operations as elected officials try to get a better grasp on budget numbers and the philosophy behind setting baseline levels of service for city functions.

That's the upshot of a half-day retreat the council held Wednesday afternoon at the Yakima Convention Center.

The retreat was a wide-ranging discussion of the way the council does business, and it focused on developing a budget strategy that will carry the city forward.

No decisions were made regarding specific expenditures, but the council agreed to take a closer look at exactly how and where the city spends its money.

"I see it as a very big project to truly get a sense for the level of service a person coming to Yakima could expect in the various areas," Councilman Dave Ettl said.

Council members differed somewhat on how far to drill down into management-level decisions and whether they were getting ahead of themselves.

"To me, we are choosing the cuts before they need to be made," Mayor Micah Cawley said.

"That's good planning," Councilwoman Kathy Coffey responded.

The council decided to revisit the Priorities of Government approach to budgeting, with an eye toward whether categories need to be reset or explained in a different way.

The council implemented Priorities of Government several years ago in hopes of making the budget process easier.

Under the model, percentages of revenue are dedicated to major service areas, such as public safety. If cuts are required, they would theoretically be made in each area in proportion to the assigned revenue percentage.

The council has not stuck to those numbers -- most notably with the recent decision to hire a dozen police officers over the next two years -- but POG supporters say that's not necessarily the intent.

With input from former City Manager Don Cooper before he resigned, the council has shifted toward looking at the level of service the city provides for city functions.

For example, that might mean the council would agree to water the parks and operate the swimming pool, but cut other recreational services if necessary.

Briefings from the city department heads -- expected to be more detailed than usual -- will give the council a better sense of what each department does and what the lowest reasonable level of service would be if revenue declines further.

Ettl suggested a better presentation of that material would help residents understand the budget in terms of public impact.

"It's a lot easier to sell your utility tax if the community has buy-in," he said.

The discussion ties into the larger question of where the city is headed.

Coffey suggested the council must address its strategic vision for Yakima.

"At some point, we need to start looking at what is the long-range plan for this community. Where are we going?" Coffey said.

* Mark Morey can be reached at 509-577-7671 or mmorey@yakimaherald.com.