Marysville budget plan adds 4 officers over next 2 years

By Steve Powell • November 7, 2018 1:30 am

MARYSVILLE – Four new police officers are included in the proposed biennial budget Mayor Jon Nehring presented to the City Council at a work session Monday.

Public hearings on the budget will take place Nov. 13 and Nov. 26 at 7 p.m. at City Hall.

The total budget for the next two years is $352 million, but as Chief Administrative Officer Gloria Hirashima said, “There’s not a lot of excess money after paying for things we have to do.”

The general fund is up 4 percent, from $47.5 million to $49.5 million, while reserves are down $2.8 million to help fund the new Public Safety Building.

Police also would like to change their handguns to 9 mm, which would be less costly than their current guns, their request says. Police also want a new polygraph and updates to forensics.

Departments that focus on finance, courts and Community Development all want to change to more-efficient, paperless systems.

Parks wants a marquee for the Opera House.

Public Works wants a street sweeper, which is grant funded, traffic signal upgrades and fiber optic upgrades. There are numerous other requests related to water and solid waste.

Street construction costs would double in the budget compared with 2018, mostly due to work on Soper Hill and the First Street Bypass. Much of that work also is grant funded.

Parks construction costs would jump from $85,000 to $3.835 million due to work on the Centennial and Ebey trails, along with Olympic View Park. About $2.7 million of that comes from grants.

Fleet maintenance costs would drop $1.3 million, but still include requests for new mowers, police and other vehicles.

For Cedarcrest Golf Course, revenue expects to drop $60,000, but overall expenses are expected to go down $106,000.

City Facilities wants to upgrade its phone system for the new Public Safety Building and Civic Center campus. Regarding that, the Capital Projects fund plans in 2019 $11.16 million for the campus, and $31.84 million in 2020.

Comparing 2019 to 2018

(Numbers are approximate and rounded off)

•Courts up $30,000

•Executive branch up $120,000, with general pay $84,000 of that.

•Finance department up $109,000, with pay $100,000 of that.

•Legal up $400,000, with pay $300,000 of that. However, that is a result of combining two departments.

•Human Resources is up $33,000.

•Community Development is up $26,000, but pay is up $90,000.

•Police is down $550,000 thanks to inmate housing cost containment, despite pay going up $250,000.

•Fire is up $750,000.

•Parks is up $73,000 with $60,000 of that for pay.

•Engineering is up $45,000, despite pay going up $65,000.