It’s a budget geek’s dream … or nightmare (because you can’t be in two places at once). On Dec. 3, both Kitsap County and the City of Port Orchard will hold public hearings on their respective 2008 budgets. Both meetings start at 7 p.m. The county meeting is at the administrative building, 614 Division St., Port Orchard. A copy of the preliminary budget is available on the county’s Web site www.kitsapgov.com. We ran a story on the county’s draft budget earlier.
The city will hold its public hearing at City Hall, 216 Prospect St., Port Orchard. A copy of the draft budget will soon be available on the city’s Web site, www.cityofportorchard.com. Hard copies are available at City Hall. For more information, call (360) 876-4407. I’ve pasted the story below, as it won’t be up on the Web until later.
City of Port Orchard to Present 2008 Budget
City will stick with I-747 1 percent property tax cap.
By Chris Henry
chenry@kitsapsun.com
PORT ORCHARD
The City of Port Orchard will hold a public hearing on its 2008
budget at 7 p.m. Dec. 3 at City Hall.
The city will stay within the 1 percent cap on annual property tax
increases imposed by I-747, despite the state Supreme Court’s
recent ruling finding the initiative unconstitutional. Actions of
the state Legislature at a special session Thursday on the
aftermath of the ruling are also unlikely to affect the budget,
said City Treasurer Kris Tompkins.
Port Orchard passed its $1.59 million property tax levy ordinance
earlier this month with the 1 percent lid in place, though new
construction and annexations boosted the percentage lift to 6.2
percent.
Taxes on new construction, including commercial development at the
Sedgwick-Bethel interchange and the soon-to-open Lowe’s Home
Improvement store, will contribute significantly to the city’s
revenue said Tompkins.
The total budget was initially projected at $24 million, but the
amount is likely to increase to around $26 million following a city
council budget study session Monday, said Tompkins. The council
approved some items from the supplemental budget, including
$250,000 for repairs to City Hall.
Projected revenues will cover the additional expenditures, said
Tompkins, who added that the city’s historically conservative
approach to budgeting has allowed it to avoid revenue
shortfalls.
“We operate with a bare bones staff and we try to be very frugal
with our citizens’ resources,” said Tompkins.
Final budget projections will be available by Monday, Tompkins
said.
In the budget, the council has given preliminary approval to an
adjustment of the pay scale for city employees, bringing salaries
in line with comparable jurisdictions. A 3.5 percent cost of living
adjustment has also been approved.
Among other staffing line items, the city will hire a part-time
hearing examiner to handle the increasing number of land use
decisions coming before the city council. Mayor Kim Abel said the
council’s time will be better utilized when a hearing examiner can
do the initial analysis.
Among the significant capital projects to be funded in 2008, the
city will add to its aesthetic appeal by running a large portion of
its downtown electrical lines underground. Puget Sound Energy will
help pay for the project, which has been recommended by consultants
on economic development. The city’s share will be $250,000.
The city also will pay to complete planning and preliminary design
for a downtown parking garage at a cost of $35,000. And its road
department will continue to lay the ground work for the Tremont
Street widening project, set to begin in 2009. Federal funding will
cover 86.5 percent of the cost. Work planned for 2008 includes
completion of engineering and right-of-way acquisition.
A copy of the draft budget will be available on the city’s Web
site, www.cityofportorchard.com. Hard copies are available at City
Hall, 216 Prospect St., Port Orchard. For more information, call
(360) 876-4407
