Council struggles to finish budget

Town of Cathlamet officials had hoped to wrap up work on their 2011 budgets when they met Monday for their monthly council meeting, but when the meeting adjourned at 12:07 a.m. Tuesday, they had scheduled a special meeting December 30, 6 p.m., to complete the work.

When Mayor George Wehrfritz asked council members if they were ready for the final vote on the budget, Council Member David Goodroe replied that he still had a list of unanswered questions. That opened a two-hour discussion that left officials trying to juggle changes and settle appropriations for programs such as library book purchases and economic development priorities.

The council voted to transfer $48,000 from the Current Expense Reserve Fund to the Current Expense Fund to cover a revenue shortfall for 2010. Clerk/Treasurer Tina Schubert said the transfer will allow the fund to start 2011 with about $28,000 cash on hand. The fund is short this year, she said, because of unexpectedly high expenses at the swimming pool, computer server replacement, extra help to cover for an employee on sick leave, and a general revenue shortfall.

The council went over Goodroe's list of comments and questions.

One involved discussion about how the town would use a $3,000 appropriation from Wahkiakum County for buying books and materials for the library.

Some council members thought the funds would free town funds for other uses, but Librarian Connie Christopher and library board members in the audience suggested the county funds augment town funds for buying books and related materials. Those funds have been severely cut the past few years, they said.

Council members countered that town revenues are very tight and the funds could support other programs, including the proposed program to offer job skills training and related services in the library, a proposal from Wehrfritz.

Goodroe, who has served as executive director of the Lower Columbia Economic Development Council (EDC), asked that the town budget $1,500 for EDC membership, as it has in the past. The EDC is merging with the Wahkiakum Chamber of Commerce, and the new body will continue to offer the economic development and community promotional services they've offered in the past, he said.

He also said Tuesday he is retiring from his position as EDC executive director.

Wehrfritz listed no appropriation for the EDC in his proposed budget. He suggested the job training program and another new program, his proposed Main Street Taskforce, could offer good economic benefits to the town.

Council Member Rendler suggested lowering the EDC/Chamber appropriation to $1,000, and if the new organization has a worthwhile proposal for the council, it could be approved.

"We should spend money on special projects," Wehrfritz said. "They (the EDC) hasn't proposed anything, and we don't know how it will be reformed in the merger."

The council left decisions on both library and EDC funding for the special meeting next week.

Earlier in the evening, the council voted 4-1 to go ahead with some upgrades to the town hall building counter to the recommendation of Mayor Wehrfritz.

Wehrfritz recommended the council authorize him to request proposals from architectural firms for designing an upgrade to the town hall.

Goodroe commented that part of the project is to be funded by an energy grant for upgrading the heating system and windows. The grant will expire soon, he said, and he doubted the work could be done if it were part of a longer process involving the selection of an architect and subsequent design and call for bids.

The energy work involves installation of a new heat pump heating system and electrical wiring to serve it. The town has the new basic layout of the building, and ducts could be located in the attic where they won't interfer with the work to improve the library and other rooms, he said.

Wehrfritz said he was confident the grant could be extended, which would be for the second and last time, and that the whole project should be designed before any work is done which might interfere with future work.

After often bitter discussion, the council passed Goodroe's motion to install the furnace and wiring in a 5-0 vote.

The council also voted 4-1 to authorize Wehrfritz to begin the search for an architect to do the design.

Also early in the evening, Wehrfritz used his authority as mayor to break a 2-2 tie vote to approve an agreement with Wahkiakum County for the Cathlamet Fire Department to buy diesel fuel from the county instead of a local gas station.

Wehrfritz recommended the change last fall, saying the county's lower fuel price could save around 38 cents per gallon of diesel used by the departments' fire trucks and ambulances.

Fire department members opposed the change. They said it would be inconvenient to fuel at the county road shop in the Elochoman Valley, and that the system used to track purchases there could be abused easily. They added that the department doesn't actually use a lot of fuel during a year, so the savings would be very small.

In the end, McNicholas and Rendler voted for the motion to approve the fueling agreement with Wahkiakum County, and Wright and Goodroe opposed it. Doumit had been at another meeting and arrived late in the discussion and abstained, leaving the mayor to break the tie vote.