Sammamish City Council approves budget
December 9, 2008
By J.B. Wogan
The city’s proposed $112 million two-year budget passed 5-1-1 at the Dec. 2 City Council meeting.
Two council members expressed reservations about the budget, based on the East Lake Sammamish Parkway project, which constitutes $13.5 million in spending in 2009.Councilwoman Kathy Huckabay voted against the budget, citing her belief that the city was ignoring pleas from its citizens to delay the parkway project.
“I’m not going to vote yes for the budget. It’s been a difficult decision for me,” Huckabay said. “I don’t have enough information tonight to vote for it and face the community.”
Councilwoman Nancy Whitten chose to abstain from voting, explaining that she felt uneasy voting against a budget that was sound overall; at the same time, she had not heard enough justification for moving forward with the project at the present time, she said.
“Apart from a handful of people, the public just doesn’t support it,” Whitten said. “Because of the size of this project, I think we have to be convinced, and I haven’t been convinced.”
At the same time, Whitten said, the budget balanced the competing interests of the community.
Whitten said the council would have another chance to deal with the project, independent of the rest of the budget, Dec. 16.
Among the five council members who voted yes on the budget was Don Gerend, who had opposed the parkway project in a vote back in January.
“Nothing changed. I voted against the parkway project (in January) and the majority ruled. You have to move on,” Gerend said.
Gerend expressed pleasure about the overall budget, adding that after meticulous combing, he couldn’t find any typos.
Councilman Mark Cross added that the budget reflected the city’s conservative fiscal policy.
Aside from the police and fire departments — contract agencies affected by cost-of-living increases in salaried positions — the city has been strict in holding off on spending increases.
“The parts of the budget that we do control are really being held to a 2 percent increase this year. I’m very comfortable that we have been conservative with the public’s money,” Cross said.
The city will spend $75 million in 2009, the bulk of which will come from capital projects: $38 million for transportation projects, $9.8 million for parks projects and $5.7 million for surface water management projects. Revenues are expected to remain steady at $35.1 million. The following year, the city plans to rein in spending ($37.2 million), while collecting $37.1 million.
Several residents used the public comment section at the beginning of the meeting to tell council that the parkway project should be cancelled, delayed, or redesigned.
“The reasons that the parkway have been justified for don’t stand up under scrutiny,” Highland Park resident Michael J. O’Connell said. O’Connell added that there was an alternative plan suggested in January that would focus construction on the Inglewood Hill intersection of the parkway, and would cost about $250,000 – substantially less than the $13.5 million planned for the current project.
The fact that residents could comment at the meeting about the parkway project came as a surprise to some residents. City Council voted 4-2 at its Nov. 18 meeting to close verbal comment on the budget, leaving open the option for written comment until the Dec. 2 meeting.
Several residents complained that they deserved the right to speak about the budget at the second hearing of the proposed budget, and council relented. While council maintained that there would not be a special opportunity to comment on the budget, the general comment section at the beginning of the meeting served that purpose.
City Attorney Bruce Disend did clarify that the council was within its legal rights to limit the verbal comment section to the Nov. 18 meeting, which satisfied state law. The opportunity to provide written comment until the Dec. 2 meeting was above and beyond the legal requirement, he added.
Reporter J.B. Wogan can be reached at 392-6434, ext. 247, or jbwogan@isspress.com.
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