No public comment on Cheney’s $23.37 million annual financing measure
With no public comment received, the Cheney City Council closed its 2015 budget hearing at its regular meeting last Tuesday night, Nov. 25, and proceeded to unanimously adopt the city’s just over $23.37 million budget for the coming fiscal year.
The council also approved by a 6-0 vote — Councilman Ryan Gaard’s absence was excused — a resolution setting new water and sewer rates for 2015. The resolution adjusts the base rate for sewer by 5 percent as well as increasing the water usage charge by a similar amount.
The council previously approved increases to some Light Department service fees and charges at a meeting Aug. 26, along with some similar changes to sewer charges back in February. City Finance Director Cindy Niemeier said the new sewer rate increases are needed to help restore depleted reserves necessary for some upcoming capital projects.
“We’re tweaking those rates just a tad to be able to perform those infrastructure needs as required,” she told the council.
The resolution increases monthly sewer service charges for separate family residences from $32.06 to $33.67, while charges for apartment house and mobile home court service increase from $29.63 to $31.12 a month. Commercial, school and industrial sewer service increases from $40.01 to $42.01 per month, plus an 87 cents per hundred cubic winter water rate for usage over 3,500 cubic feet.
Eastern Washington University’s sewer service charge increases from $39,831.18 to $41,822.74 per month.
The new water and sewer rates take effect Jan. 1, 2015, with residents allowed a 30-day comment period.
Several council members complimented city staff on the hard work they had put into coming up with a budget for the coming year, noting it took a lot of pencil sharpening to produce a budget during lean revenue times without cutting services or staff. Mayor Tom Trulove echoed the council’s remarks, saying the budget process was “very difficult.”
“It will be a disappointing year for what we can do,” he said.
John McCallum can be reached at [email protected].
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