The City Council gathered for its annual planning session last week, which covers all manners of business ranging from 2010 budget projections to parking in the Town Center. All seven Councilmembers, along with City Manager Rich Conrad, City Attorney Katie Knight, Mercer Island Police Chief Ed Holmes and other members of the city attended the three-day session, which was held at the community center. A few members of the public also attended.
The lion’s share of dialogue took place on Saturday, beginning with a review of the 2009 city budget and projections for 2010. No surprise, City Finance Director Chip Corder reiterated that the city has little money coming in due to the recession, which may last longer than initially predicted.
However, individual numbers demonstrate that the city has been financially prudent and came in under budget in 2009 with total general fund expenditures at 84 percent of the budget rather than the target 92 percent. The city ended the year at approximately 5 percent below budget, which equates to about 1.2 million in expenditure savings. The majority of city revenues, earned from real estate excise tax, was up 43 percent in November 2009, as compared to the year prior.
On the flip side, total general fund revenues for 2009 were only at 87 percent of budget, rather than the projected 94 percent. This meant a $1.3 million shortfall for the city’s general fund last year. All tax revenues were down slightly, from the city’s crucial real estate excise tax (down 53 percent) to sales tax (down 20 percent).
Looking ahead at 2010, certain city projects will have to either be put off or scaled down, such as plans to build a new firehouse (or remodel the current one) on the South end.
“As for the fire station financing discussed in November, we don’t have the money to do the design. We don’t even have the money to get started because the economy has gutted real estate excess task,” Conrad told the Council.
The project is estimated to cost $5 million in capital funds, which would include turning to Island voters for a levy lid lift or bond levy. Such plans, however, are only realistically feasible after 2010.
The city will continue to look closely at its 2010 budget over the coming months. Council discussions will be announced to the public.
Moving on to a more optimistic subject, the Council discussed tangible progress being made in the city’s attempt to “go green” and reduce its carbon footprint. The Green Ribbon Commission, which celebrated its one-year anniversary last fall, has more than doubled in size and is busy spreading the word on ways that Islanders can reduce their carbon footprint (see our online archive story, “Green Ribbon group celebrates one year”).
Mike Grady reminded the Council that electric cars and plug-in stations will be a reality on Mercer Island in the coming year. Indeed, the Mercer Island Police Department is now driving its first hybrid vehicle (see our online archive story, “MIPD purchases first hybrid patrol car”), a 2010 Toyota Highlander. Meanwhile, the Maintenance and Development Services Department has two electric cars — a battery-operated truck and sedan, purchased in 2008.
Councilmember Mike Cero expressed concern that these two cars are not seen in use on the Island. In order to spread the message to Islanders, Cero said the city’s electric cars should be visible to the community.
“Let’s start using that thing. I’ve only seen [the city’s electric sedan] used once,” Cero said.
Mike Grady seconded this comment.
“I think we’re in agreement. Why do we have it if we’re not using it?” he asked.
Other topics discussed on Saturday included development in the Town Center (in particular, increasing Town Center parking for when light rail comes to Mercer Island), how the city can help the Island’s retail shops flourish (both now, during the current recession and in the long-term), and residential development with new Town Center living communities. The Reporter will cover these topics in articles over the coming months.
Councilmembers discussed their “transportation vision for Mercer Island,” which includes everything from Metro bus routes to promoting Mercer Island as a “biker-friendly” community, along with a cost recovery plan for the Parks & Recreation department.
Saturday’s session also included a special presentation by students from the Bainbridge Graduate Institute, which will be helping the city find a “financially, socially and environmentally” stable business solution for the plot of city land that currently houses the Recycle Center, the existence of which — for financial and operation reasons — is up in the air (see our online archive story, “Islanders brainstorm ideas to save Recycle Center”). The city is working with a team of grad students from the Bainbridge Institute through a grant project, thereby costing the city next to nothing. A detailed story on this process — which includes the Mercer Island community — will be published in an upcoming Reporter.
Sunday, the last day of the City Council Planning session, was mostly dedicated to looking over and approving specific stipulations and language in the city’s Temporary Encampment Ordinance, which was presented to the Council for its first reading on Jan. 19 (see story on page 1). The Reporter will cover the details of this in next week’s issue.
The annual planning session is a time for Councilmembers to discuss its priorities for coming year. Included in the “Planning Session Outcomes” are specific projects and work program agreements. The Council has been holding annual planning sessions since 1987.
