Langley city employees will receive a cost-of-living wage increase and numerous nonprofit groups will continue to receive financial help under the 2019 budget passed by the city council Monday night.
The new budget is also slated to bring in better playground equipment at Generation Park, a little sprucing up at City Hall and safer sidewalks and crosswalks downtown.
The $9.1-million city budget includes rate increases for water, sewer and stormwater, and anticipates increases in revenue from sales tax and the lodging tourism tax.
Although the final tax numbers for 2018 won’t be finalized until early next year, it looks like the city may have received more money than ever from state tourism and sales taxes because of record-breaking visitation.
“For November and October, we had more record months,” Mayor Tim Callison said. “It looks like we’re going to have a record year.”
But a slowdown in building and land development means less revenue, explained Debbie Mahler, finance director.
The general fund of $1.86 million is down just under 1 percent from 2018. It pays for police, finance and administration, city and library maintenance, parks, emergency services and other general services.
“While tax revenues have increased, revenue from building and land development continues to decline,” Mahler said.
The budget passed in a 4-to-1 vote.
Dominique Emerson voted against it, disagreeing with the restoration of $15,000 in funding for a design consultant to assist with community planning design guidelines. She advocated the money be allocated later in the year when the full tax revenue from 2018 is known.
Langley’s overall budget consists of 14 separate funds, which are operated as a separate accounting entities under state law. State law also requires each fund be balanced so that revenues equal expenditures.
About $2.3 million of the budget comes from grants awarded by the state’s street fund to improve road infrastructure projects. The projects include sidewalks, ADA crosswalk improvement, bike racks and pavement reconstruction.
Staff will receive a 2.8 percent, cost-of-living increase as well as a possible 1 percent merit increase based on performance.
One 30-hour-per-week position has been added to the city staff for next year to help with requests for public records.
The city has received nearly 60 applications for the advertised deputy clerk position to help establish and maintain a paper and electronic records system, Mahler said.
Additionally, the search for a new chief of police is expected to begin early next year. After the former chief was relieved of his duties in July, then resigned, Officer Don Lauer was named acting chief of police.
Property insurance increased by about $4,000 while liability insurance continued its skyward trend, increasing to $83,988 from $72,807 in 2018. Two years ago, the city paid $53,200 for liability insurance. The increase is due to lawsuits against the city, officials said.
Looking for ways to trim and balance the 2019 budget, it had been suggested earlier this month that the city reduce its financial support to several nonprofit organizations.
The city council, however, nixed that idea and awarded the same amounts as it had for 2018.
The Whidbey Homeless Coalition will again receive $4,000, Senior Services was awarded $7,500 and a new economic development project called Front Door Back received $3,000.
To save money, trees on city property won’t get trimmed as frequently by a contractor as that budget was reduced to $10,000 from $18,000.
Because the general fund was stretched far to cover estimated expenses for 2019, Mahler said, it wasn’t possible to meet the goal of 10 to 15 percent of fund balance of cash carryover. The goal of an emergency carryover fund was established after the recession forced the city to make deep budget cuts and lay off staff in 2009.
