Town begins 2016 budget work

Members of the Cathlamet Town Council gave first approval of their proposed 2016 budget on Monday.

By law, the council will hold three readings of the budget to give it final approval. The first came Monday; subsequent readings will come at the council's November and December meetings.

As part of the process, the council also approved a 1 percent increase in property taxes, an increase of $737.86. Overall, the town will collect $73,785.80 in property taxes in 2016.

The town's total budget, according to the preliminary draft, will total $3.5 million, down from $4.49 million for this year, the final year of the waste water treatment plant construction project.

The town goes into 2016 with an expected Current Expense Fund Cumulative Reserve of $740,000, most of which came from the harvest of timber. The council has budgeted $100,000 for possible timber land improvements.

The Sewer Operations and Maintenance Fund shows a deficit of $119,150. Revenues are expected to be $176,350, while expenses are estimated at $295,500.

"We're still head scratching," Mayor Dale Jacobson said when asked how the council will reconcile the difference. "We'll be studying it much more."

"That doesn't include any rate increase," said Council Member Andrew Lea. "It will be cutting costs and reviewing it."

In other business:

--Public Works Director Duncan Cruickshank reported the public works crew planned to test a new procedure for clearing the raw water intake line at the town water plant.

The line is buried under the Elochoman River and is partially filled with sediment. The crew will plug the ends of the line and inject air into it to try to clear out the sediment, which, if successful, would allow the plant to draw more water from the river.

--The council agreed to advance its December meeting one week to December 14 in order to avoid conflict with the holidays.