The Times - Serving Waitsburg, Dayton and the Touchet Valley

WAITSBURG - The Waitsburg City Council last Thursday took a look at a proposed budget for 2013 that doesn't include prop­erty tax or utility hikes and provides dedicated raises for city employees for the first time in four years.

City Administrator Ran­dy Hinchliffe said last Thursday night the draft budget includes work to Seventh Street in 2013, the proposed amount for the new contract with the Walla Walla County Sheriff's Office and small additions like new turnouts for the fire department.

The city will also con­tinue to fund work on the Touchet River levee and hopefully will be able to obtain a new press for the wastewater treatment plant.

The budget, about $2.4 million total, is slightly above the amount approved last year because of some new funding through real estate excise tax increases to help keep the pool open, Hinchliffe said. The budget is very similar to what was passed for 2012.

" We're on an even keel for the most part," Hinchliffe said.

The amount for the con­tract with the sheriff's of­fice for coverage in the city is $91,250 for 2013. The contract with the office is still under consideration and is expected to be ap­proved in December.

Councilman Marty Dunn said the only part of the budget he could not support was a 2.5 percent wage increase for city staff members. Dunn said the economy is still not in the best state and the council needs to make a decision to keep the city in a good financial position. He sug­gested allowing the staff members have a buyout of vacation time instead.

Mayor Walt Gobel said the wage increase was add­ed to the budget because in 2012 the employees have undergone changes to their insurance to save the city money. The proposed raises for 2013 would only cost the city about $6,000 overall, he added.

"Even with this kind of a raise, they're still losing money," Gobel said.

Councilman Karl New­ell said he didn't agree with a percentage raise, and would like to see that every employee get a flat dollar amount as a raise to keep it equal.

"It should be the same for everybody because everybody has the same insurance," Newell said.

Changes will be made to the proposed budget again and it will be up for a vote at the council's Dec. 19 meeting.