Town begins paring its budget

Change doesn't come easy.

To deal with declining revenue, Town of Cathlamet Mayor George Wehrfritz has proposed a series of budget cuts and adjustments that would impact a variety of services to the public.

Library hours would be reduced by one day. The municipal swimming pool would be closed Saturday through Monday days. There would be no raises for employees.

Proposals to modify accounting and fund handling in the Cathlamet Fire Department created the hottest exchanges at the council's budget workshop Monday.

Wehrfritz said the fire department must define its core mission, reduce non-core activities and plan for growth in emergency medical services (EMS). "Department accounting also must be put fully under the oversight of the town's clerk/treasurer," he said, "a process that will incur frustration on both sides and also significant transition costs."

The department is organized into two divisions, the fire division which fights fires and the first aid division which operates the ambulances. Wehrfritz has noted that the first aid division has strong outside revenues--it collects fees for transporting people in the ambulance; the fire department, however, gets its revenue from town appropriations.

The department has traditionally been autonomous, but at the recommendation of a Washington state auditor, town officials several years ago began moving the department's bookkeeping into town hall. The department still has a clerk who processes bills and claims and forwards them to town hall. This would end under Wehrfritz's proposal, and the department would update its cost accounting to split evenly the way it charges for use of the fire station. Wehrfritz proposes a 50-50 split; Assistant Fire Chief Fred Johnson proposed a 60 percent share for the fire division and 40 percent for first aid.

Wehrfritz questioned the need for a wildland fire fighting vehicle and suggested it isn't part of the department's core function. The vehicle is equipped to go off road, and it is sometimes mustered to journey around the state to fight fires.

Johnson and First Aid Division Captain Beau Renfro countered that the vehicle is needed for response in Cathlamet; it generated revenue when mustered for state fire response, and it is popular with new recruits and thus is a recruiting tool.

Johnson added that the town shouldn't go after the first aid division's reserves, for they're built off dedicated funds for EMS. A vehicle emergency could easily require all the money in the fund, he said.

"It's not prudent to be looking at EMS as a cash cow for the current expense fund," he said. "All this stuff is baloney. You (Wehrfritz) don't know what it is and you've never come to us and you made assumptions.

"You want to raid EMS. You want to throw out equipment. You're breaking up the fire department. I'm not going to sit here and allow it!"

"I'm not trying to upset you," Wehrfritz responded. "I'm trying to learn more about the department. I asked if wild lands helps with the town's fire rating and you spin it into bashing the fire department."

The discussion lasted two hours; in the end, it was agreed that Renfro would meet with Clerk/Treasurer Tina Schubert to work out accounting details.

In other discussion, Librarian Connie Christopher and library board member Toni Hardy discussed proposed cuts to the library.

Christopher said the library couldn't have its book buying budget frozen, so she and board members agreed to cut out one library opening during the week, in effect cutting Christopher's salary.

"It's already a very bare bones budget," Hardy said. "They only place to cut was Connie's hours."

Christopher wanted an appropriation for new computers so that she could offer a class to teach people online job finding skills. Council members supported the suggestion, and Wehrfritz said it would tie in with his proposals to support business development.

Under the proposed budget, the pool would be open only Tuesday through Friday. Some services, like private lessons, would be cut, and prices would increase.

Continued operation of the pool depends on Wahkiakum County continuing its contribution, officials said.

"If the county pulls the plug on the pool, I hate to say it, but, game over," Wehrfritz said.

"We'd have to close it," said Council Member Bob Rendler.

Budget discussions will continue at the council's meeting next Monday evening in the River Street Meeting Room.