Ritzville City Council continues 2019 budget conversations

The Ritzville City Council continued its 2019 budget conversations during its latest meeting on Oct. 2, while discussions regarding the potential ordinance that would ban cargo containers on residential properties consumed much of the meeting.

Clerk-Treasurer Julie Flyckt spearheaded the 2019 budget discussions, which focused on projected revenues for the city. Flyckt noted that the 2019 draft budget has been updated to show the effects of the annual one percent increase on Real and Personal Property Taxes, which increased the budget revenues by $3,300. The increase is reflected in the Current Expense, Cemetery and Streets funds.

Flyckt used a revenue estimator from the nonprofit Municipal Research and Services Center (MRSC) to help project how much shared revenues per capita they can expect to receive from the state government, which includes liquor, criminal justice, gas tax and multimodal distributions. According to the MRSC estimator, Ritzville should receive $63,582 in shared revenue from the state.

The 2019 draft budget was also adjusted to reflect a proposed 110 Funds request for $20,000, which would be used to cover the utilities, insurance, phone and internet costs at the Ritzville Golf Course to help support the course as a tourism facility. If approved, it would reduce the Current Expense fund for Other Services & Charges from $70,000 to $50,000 in the draft budget. Flyckt and Mayor Gary Cook will continue to review all funds in order to provide a preliminary budget by Nov. 1, which will be presented at the Nov. 6 council meeting.

Spirited debate over the potential amending of Ordinance No. 2116 continued at the meeting. The ordinance would be amended to define a cargo container as “a metal unit originally or specifically used or designed to store goods or merchandise for shipping or hauling by vehicle, including but not limited to, rail cars of any kind, truck trailers or multimodal shipping containers.”

The ordinance would also be amended to allow cargo containers to only be used for “temporary storage of equipment and/or materials at a construction site that is authorized by a city building permit for a maximum period of 180 days.” Additionally, permanently placed cargo containers would not be permitted in any residential zoning district.

Police Chief David McCormick expressed concern that the city would not be able to effectively enforce the new ordinance if approved.

“Invariably somebody is going to have <a cargo container> in violation after [the ordinance] has passed and been adopted, or they’re going to move one in,” said McCormick. “And we’re going to send them a letter and tell them they can’t do that and that they have to move it. I’m just very frustrated with the lack of the teeth in the ordinances that we have in several areas.”

Councilmembers discussed a possible fine for those that violated the ordinance, although nothing was agreed upon at the meeting. A public hearing in regards to the ordinance is scheduled for Oct. 16.

In other news at the meeting, Flyckt announced that the city was awarded a $7,000 grant by the state’s Archives Oversight Committee in order to organize the city’s file room. Councilman Scott Yaeger mentioned that Public Works was looking into renting equipment to fill cracks around the city and councilman Mark Weigand noted that the golf course is closing for the season on Oct. 31 and that the city needs to begin searching for a new manager. A hearing for the proposed ad valorem tax against property was set for Nov. 6.

The next city council meeting is scheduled for Oct. 16 at 7 p.m. at Ritzville City Hall.