PORT TOWNSEND — The 2017 budget for the Port Townsend general fund is proposed to be $8,283,495, up 10.5 percent from last year’s adopted budget of $7,496,782.
The Port Townsend City Council unanimously approved the first reading of the 2017 city budget at a public hearing Monday evening.
“That is malleable throughout the year,” said City Manager David Timmons during Monday’s meeting. “The council still has $87,000 in discretionary that can be allocated to the budget for special needs.”
The hearing was a time for the public to voice their opinions on the potential 2017 budget. None of the community members in attendance spoke on the issue.
The council will continue to consider the 2017 budget at a business meeting Dec. 5, which will be held at 6:30 p.m. in council chambers at historic City Hall, 540 Water St.
City staff presented the final draft of the 2017 budget, which has a proposed increase of $786,713 from last year’s budget.
Largest increases
The areas with the largest increases in funding are expected to be professional services, including $25,000 for an ethics hearing officer, which contributes to the 94 percent increase in funding from 2016 to 2017.
A need for police vehicles and radios, expected to cost $163,000, contributes to a 695.8 percent increase in funds going toward machinery and equipment in 2017 as well. Much of this increase is due to the reallocation of software updates to the city’s Smartgov system from the general fund’s repairs and maintenance budget to the machinery and equipment budget, city staff said.
Training/memberships travel will see a 213 percent increase — $35,700 to $111,740 — due to the increase in travel expenses for police, city council members and city finance staff. Travel expenses are proposed at $13,000 for both police and city officials. However, the largest change is due to moving the funds used for training police and city staff — a proposed $62,000 for 2017 out of the miscellaneous budget.
Other sections of the general fund — such as salaries, insurance, supplies and equipment rentals — will see increases, but nothing over 20 percent, according to the current general fund budget summary handed out at Monday’s meeting.
Only two sections of the general fund will see a decrease in funding.
Repairs and maintenance are expected to see a 45.5 percent drop in funding. That is because the software updates needed were reorganized and put into the machinery and equipment fund.
A potential 1.9 percent decrease in the city’s operating rents and leases is because of a decrease in the cost of copier leases through a new lease program.
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Jefferson County Editor/Reporter Cydney McFarland can be reached at 360-385-2335, ext. 55052, or at cmcfarland@peninsuladailynews.com.
