The Times - Serving Waitsburg, Dayton and the Touchet Valley

WAITSBURG – In a 2018 budget recap, Waitsburg Mayor Marty Dunn listed completion of the Main Street Bridge as one of the most important projects completed in 2018. Looking forward, the Waitsburg City Council approved a 2019 budget of $1.98 million, slightly lower than last year’s $2.17 million budget, at its Dec. 27 meeting.

While “substantially complete” in 2017, the Main Street Bridge project was finally checked off as officially complete in 2018. The roughly $1.8 million, three-year project, which spent approximately 10 years in the planning and fund-seeking stages, was funded largely through the state. The attractive, historically-styled replacement bridge will help mitigate flood hazards.

Another significant accomplishment in 2018 was the upgrade of every water meter in the City to smart meters that can be read remotely. The new meters allow the City to meet State requirements to be lead-free and will save many employee man hours in reading meters.

Other 2018 projects include ADA improvements, sidewalk replacements through the homeowner sidewalk replacement program, and tree trimming in Preston Park. A Park and Ride station was installed at the north end of Main Street, visitor informational signage was installed near the library, and the City purchased a vacant lot on Main Street with plans to develop a pocket park.

Top on the list of 2019 planned improvements is the replacement of the obsolete pressing system at the Wastewater Treatment Plant. The system will be replaced with a belt-style press. The City also plans to purchase a sewer line inspection camera to video all City sewer lines to identify problems and prioritize future relining.

Goals listed in the 2019 city budget proposal include:

Maintain basic services for citizens – law enforcement, water system, sewer system, garbage, park, cemetery, library, planning, building inspection, etc.

Make repairs to certain City streets as a part of continued repair and maintenance

Fund City debt obligations

Provide for continuing education of City staff and crew

Fund City Pool; including a third recoating of the pool surface

New recreational uses in Preston Park

Plan for future waterline/roadway improvements on Taggart and Dewitt Roads

Make various improvements to a variety of City-owned facilities

Continue to work with the Army Corps of Engineers on a flood mitigation study

Replace the obsolete pressing system at the wastewater treatment plant

“As with every year, the 2019 budget is designed to achieve a fundamental goal: to provide the level of service the community expects while operating in a fiscally responsible manner, and balancing revenues generated against controlled expenditures,” said Mayor Dunn in his Mayor’s Transmittal on the proposed budget.