Council wraps up budget issues

The Cathlamet Town Council wrapped up its budget preparation for 2011 with a special meeting last week.

Three major issues remained to be settled, Mayor George Wehrfritz said at the start of the meeting--library staffing, a contribution, if any, to the successor of the Lower Columbia Economic Development Council, and the budgets for the fire department and emergency services.

Council members left their regular monthly meeting December 20 unsettled on how to set funding for library programs.

They were considering reducing the salary of librarian Connie Christopher but also transferring reserve funds to use to cover a new job training program which Christopher would operate, thereby keeping her time at 2010 level, and replacing $3,000 of $4,000 in the book buying budget with a contribution from Wahkiakum County and transferring the town funds to the job training program.

County Commissioner Lisa Marsyla told the council Thursday she and her fellow commissioners would be upset if the town just used the county money to supplant town funds.

Library patrons had lobbied the county for funds for the library, and Marsyla had come up with the plan to divert county money going to the municipal pool to the library.

"I feel really strongly about this," she said. "I will feel really disappointed if the town council uses that and pulls back on their budget."

"I really agree with you," commented Council Member Bob Rendler. "It was my interpretation at the time that the $3,000 was added to the budget."

Council Member David Goodroe said he was proposing that the money be used to maintain Christopher's salary. The county's $3,000 would go for books, as intended, and the town's $3,000 would be put in the salary package.

Marsyla said she agreed with that, for her original intent was to maintain the librarian's salary.

After more discussion, the council agreed to put the money straight into the salary line and reduce funding for the jobs program.

The council agreed to restore $1,500 in funding for the merged Wahkiakum Chamber of Commerce and Lower Columbia Economic Development Council (EDC).

The two organizations are merging this year as state funding for EDCs is drying up.

The new group will continue to offer most of the same economic development services, volunteer interim Executive Director Richard Erickson told the council.

Both organizations have provided marketing services, and the EDC has provided grant writing services which the town has used.

Among the services the Chamber has provided are community festivals such as the Bald Eagle Festival. These festivals are a real shot in the arm for local businesses, Erickson said. Without funding from the town and other organizations, the Chamber won't be able to provide the festivals, he said.

Wehrfritz had proposed that the town undertake other economic development initiatives, such as the job training program and an initiative to bolster Main Street businesses.

When he asked what council members wanted to do, Council Member Ruth Doumit said, "Money for the EDC."

Other council members agreed and settled on the $1,500 amount, with the town attorney to write a new contract that specifies that some of the services to be provided include the festivals.

Finally, the mayor, council, Clerk/Treasurer Tina Schubert and fire department representatives debated the level of the administrative charge their funds would be assessed.

In a move initiated by Wehrfritz, Schubert took over the accounting for the fire and ambulance services of the fire department last month. They listed a $20,000 figure in the budget as their assessment for accounting services.

The town assesses the sewer and water departments 11.5 percent apiece for accounting, Schubert said. She has estimated that the new responsibility will occupy 20 percent of her time, and that was the proposed level of assessment.

Assistant Chief Fred Johnson and Captain Beau Renfro, Emergency Medical Services coordinator, said the assessment was too high, a $12,000 increase of the 2010 budget.

Schubert countered that the actual increase was $8,325.

Johnson asked that Schubert keep track of her time in a day book so that after six months, they could analyze the amount of time and determine if it was set at the correct level.

Schubert said she would keep track of time for an assessment.