Sean C. Morgan
The city of Sweet Home Budget Committee restored funding for the Harvest Festival, which had been cut in the budget recommended by staff, and approved the 2013-14 budget last week.
Committee members resisted moves to restore funding for a police officer position lost during a 2011 budget shortfall and reduced funding for the Summer Recreation program.
The budget next goes before the City Council for adoption. The Budget Committee met on May 7, May 8 and May 9 to review the budget.
The $18.5 million budget mostly maintains existing service levels, although it is about $3.5 million smaller than the 2012-13 budget. Most of that difference is part of sewer repairs included in the 2012-13 budget. Expenditures are $13.1 million, down from $17.2 million.
Among changes, the city is adding a .5 full-time equivalent in its parks. The budget includes planning for Hobart Park and a new vision document for the community. The Parks Board told Carol Lewis, community development director, to focus on Hobart Park and the community vision this year, dispensing with the Harvest Festival, held in October at Sankey Park, and reducing the summer recreation program, a weekly parks program for children held each summer.
Cut from the summer recreation program this year were a rafting trip and tree climbing.
The budget included a $229,000 transfer to the building reserve fund, which was used to partially fund the construction of the Police Department, reducing the size of the bond levy needed for the project. The city will use those funds to pay for a new City Hall when it is eventually replaced.
City officials began discussing construction of a new City Hall in 2006, but with the decline in the economy and property tax revenues, that discussion has been on hold, said City Manager Craig Martin.
In the meantime, the city continues to save money in the reserve fund for the potential construction of a new City Hall and other building projects.
“That particular fund is like your savings account,” Martin told the Budget Committee.
Funds originally budgeted for transfer to the reserve fund were used to shore up the Police Department in 2011 when it faced an unanticipated revenue shortfall.
“If you expend out of it, you can do that,” Martin said. “It just means you may not be able to replenish it.”
“I really like this Harvest Festival,” said Zach Lincoln, Budget Committee member. “I’d like to see that come back one way or the other.”
“I think it needs to stay,” said Andrew Allen, another committee member.
The Budget Committee chose to reduce the transfer by $4,000 to pay for the October Harvest Festival, but it declined to use the cash to pay for a police officer or restore summer recreation funding. Bruce Hobbs abstained from the vote, which was otherwise unanimous.
The summer recreation program is already scheduled for this year, Lewis told the committee, and it’s too late in the year to add back the activities, which were reduced about $3,500.
Members of the committee eyed a one-time budgeted expenditure of $10,000 for a RARE intern, who will work on various projects, like the Community Forest Corridor, as a source of funds for restoring the police officer.
The Forest Service and Linn County also are committing money to the intern, who will be a graduate or post-graduate student.
The RARE intern is an investment in the future of Sweet Home, Allen said, and it will provide more bang for the city’s buck.
It will be a full-time person working on the forest project, said Mayor Jim Gourley.
Among the goals of the community forest project are improvements in recreation tourism and alternative forest products.
“This would be an investment in a broader scope,” Martin said. It’s a pivotal effort.
“I don’t know that I can justify doing this instead of hiring a police officer or putting these kids programs back in,” said Councilor Dave Trask, although he would certainly “let it ride” if the police funding and recreation funding were intact.
“We’re talking long-term goals, jobs and needs,” Gourley said.
Trask moved to cut funding for half of a municipal court position to help fund the police officer. Municipal Court revenues are budgeted at $190,000, $60,000 less in 2013-14 than in 2012-13 Actual revenue from 2011-12 was $210,000.
Trask withdrew his motion following discussion.
“I firmly believe we need another officer on the road,” said Councilor Greg Mahler.
If nothing changes and no money saved, the Police Department faces a budget shortfall of more than $760,000 in 2014-15 and more than $1.7 million in 2015-16.
When those shortfalls materialize, Trask said, the city is going to need to start backfilling police funding from the General Fund.
Two years ago, those projections were worse, said Police Chief Bob Burford. With layoffs and tightened belts, the city has been able to “bend the curve down” and hold off the red ink.
“There is the possibility that revenues could improve,” Martin said. If the economy improves and values start to rise, the city may be able to replace lost positions, and the city is planning to apply for a grant to restore the school resource officer.
“I’m not advocating for or against it,” Martin said of restoring a police officer this year. “Long term, it could be problematic.”
The city still faces potential increases in expenditures, he said. The city is bargaining with its two union groups, and the impact of those negotiations is uncertain.
Right now, the Police Department’s patrol division is divided into two teams, Burford said. One is short one officer. When a member of that team is sick, on vacation or otherwise unavailable for patrol, it can leave a single officer on duty.
That officer is alone a maximum of four hours, said Sgt. Jeff Lynn, the incoming police chief. When that situation occurs, one of the two sergeants will fill in.
Lincoln suggested the chief look at a reserve officer program to help out when the department is shorthanded.
With these times, “it’s definitely something I’ll look at,” Lynn said.
“I know staffing levels at the Police Department are important,” Martin said. It’s not ideal, but it’s at a level closer to what the city can sustain.
Finance Director Pat Gray told the committee that she could hold off transferring money to the Building Reserve Fund. Prior to the transfer, the City Council could redirect the funds toward restoring a police officer position.
The Budget Committee approved the 2013-14 budget 12-1. Voting yes were Mahler, Marybeth Angulo, Lincoln, Craig Fentiman, Gourley, Allen, Bruce Hobbs, Stefanie Gatchell, Gerritt Schaffer, Susie Ford, Leanna West and Anay Hausner. Trask voted no. Scott McKee Jr. was absent.
The committee voted 12-0 to set tax rates to support the budget. Trask abstained.