Fife council adopts 2010 budget

Fife council members adopted a 2010 budget on Dec. 8 totaling approximately $65 million. Expenditures will cost the city about $50 million.  

Highlights within the final budget include reductions in lodging tax allocations and the addition of three street patrol officers to the city’s police department.  

First, the reductions come as a result of a $300,000 debt service the city owes for property purchased about six years ago, explained City Administrator Steve Worthington. City staff anticipated that the property would be sold before the end of the year and that payback of the debt wouldn’t be necessary the following year. In the wake of this unexpected cost the council and city staff have adjusted fund allocations from the city’s lodging tax to raise enough revenue to cover the cost.

“We have focused on funding only core programs,” Worthington said.

At the end of 2009, the lodging tax is projected to come in just under $600,000, Finance Director Steve Marcotte explained. In previous years, the city has managed to collect upwards of $680,000.

“It could be as much as $50,000 short of the anticipated budget,” Marcotte said.

Next year, the city will try to reduce spending from the lodging tax fund by about $40,000, which should keep an available balance of approximately $213,000.

Under the new proposal, lodging tax allocations for the core programs have been reduced by 15 percent. Some of the core programs that have been affected include community float funds, which have been reduced by $8,000 and the city’s marketing program funds, which have reduced by $8,200.  

Next, the city will put three officers back on the street in 2010.

The first two officers would be taken off of the city’s Redfelx red light camera program and put back on patrol. The city will replace the officers with limited commission police department employees. Although these two employees would not be fully commissioned police officers, they will still receive training and certification by the city’s police chief. They will only enforce traffic related infractions.

A third officer, which will be funded through a federal grant the city received last fall, will be added later in the year. This new officer is currently completing training at the state police academy and should be trained and ready to patrol independently in about one year.

Worthington believes that this council action is a positive step in plugging up vacancies within the police department.

“I know the council would like to have all 31 officers on the street, but we’re just not quite there,” he commented.  

Some council members disagreed, citing the city is not doing enough to fix the problem.

“We owe it to our department to replace our officers,” Councilmember Glenn Hull said. “I have to oppose any amendment that would limit our community’s ability to grow and deal with a crime rate that has doubled in 2009.”

However, most council members agreed with city staff, reiterating the city’s lack of additional funds to fill all positions.

“I don’t agree with spending on a credit card,” Councilmember Richard Godwin added. “If we don’t have the money to pay for these services, then we shouldn’t spend it.”

Mayor Barry Johnson agreed with Godwin and said, “I don’t want to be in a position that we add staff, then in six months or so have to let them go because we can’t afford to keep them on.”

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