Ritzville Council amends 2017 budget

The Ritzville City Council finished their 2017 meeting schedule on Dec. 19.

One of the action items approved by council was Ordinance 2112, which authorizes amendments to the 2017 budget.

During the public hearing for the budget amendments, Mayor Gary Cook explained there were additional revenues and expenditures in three funds not anticipated for the 2017 budget when council first adopted it in December 2016.

The Current Expense fund had an additional $100,000 in revenues and expenses relating to contracts for the airport runway project from last year.

The City Beautification fund added $10,000 in revenues and expenses. Cook explained the fund received a $10,000 donation not accounted for in the budget.

The Streets Fund had an additional $135,000 in revenue and expenses relating to two completed street projects, as well as the Washington State Transportation Improvement Board (TIB) reimbursement for costs relating to the Relight Washington project.

Cook said Avista Utilities forwarded an invoice to the city regarding the costs for the project. In a separate action item, council authorized the city to reimburse Avista for the work on the project.

Councilmember Michelle Plumb asked Public Works Director Larry Swift if Avista had replaced all of the lights throughout the city. Swift said Public Works crews received a grant to install LED lights in the downtown area, but Avista replaced the lights in the rest of the city.

In other business, council authorized Cook to appoint Joel Bell as the new Fire Chief for the Ritzville Fire Department.

Prior the appointment, Cook read a letter from the Fire Department, who unanimously voted Bell as the new chief during their Dec. 18 business meeting. Bell, who was previously the assistant fire chief, assumed former Fire Chief Bill Banner’s duties after the latter resigned from his position on the Fire Department in September due to medical reasons.

Bell presented a fire chief contract for appointing Chad Hoeft as the assistant fire chief and Dave Breazeale as the captain, to which council approved.

While Hoeft resides outside city limits, Bell said Hoeft works in town during the day and he makes city fire calls in the city, as well as county fire calls.

He added he has full trust in Hoeft and Breazeale to fulfill their duties in the new roles on the Fire Department.

Council voted to schedule a special meeting on Jan. 10 at 4 p.m. for a workshop regarding the 110 funding allocation schedule.

Cook announced the city is in the process of seeking applicants for the vacant City Council Ward 2 position. He said a notice has been published for letters from residents who are interested in filling the seat.

Cook also presented a letter from Varela and Associates regarding a work plan proposal for the deepening of the channel on the northwest side of the wastewater lagoon.

In March, the Washington State Department of Ecology Dam Safety Office (DSO) found the drainage channel along the northside of the city’s wastewater lagoons has insufficient hydraulic capacity to pass the 500-year storm event, and requested the city fix the issue.

Cook said Varela is proposing to conduct a design report and survey for the work at a cost of $16,820, and DSO has endorsed the company’s proposal.

He added the council does not have to make a decision right now, but they will need to revisit the matter in the future

During council reports, Councilmember Dennis Chamberlain said the Ritzville Planning Commission asked him to come to council with their request for a six-month moratorium on large cargo containers in residential areas within city limits.

Chamberlain said the commission requested the moratorium to allow them time for research codes from other municipalities with the hopes of drafting an ordinance relating to cargo containers in the Ritzville city limits.

Cook said council will need to vote on an actual moratorium before it can go into effect.

In his department report, Police Chief Dave McCormick reiterated the department’s officers will participate in a DUI emphasis patrol from now until the end of the year.

McCormick added he and Officer Matthew Carlson attended a training class in Spokane called “Heroin on Steroids.” He said the class focused on teaching officers about the dangers of the opioid fentanyl.

Finally, Cook administered the oath of office councilmembers Plumb, Scott Yeager, Mike Schrag and Mark Weigand at the beginning of the meeting. All four councilmembers were reelected to their positions after winning the Nov. 7 election.