City of Ritzville's 2020 budget forecasts a busy year ahead

As the new year began this week, the 2020 budget for the city of Ritzville has also taken effect as well. It calls for a busy year ahead for the city, tackling a wide variety of projects and issues.

As The Journal has reported in previous issues, the highlight of this year’s recently approved budget--and the topic of much debate--is the setting aside of funds for the city to hire an additional officer at the Ritzville Police Department.

If all goes as planned, according to RPD Chief Dave McCormick, the process of hiring a fifth officer would not begin until July. In the first year, the city is budgeted to spend about $53,000 on the additional officer, which includes salary, benefits and necessary equipment that needs to be purchased.

The addition of another police officer isn’t the only expected new hire for the city. The 2020 budget also calls for hiring a part-time deputy clerk-treasurer in an effort to allow the clerk department adequate time for cross-training and improving the department’s overall internal control structure.

A staff analysis of the clerk department by Tara Dunford, a certified public accountant, showed that the department’s workload is busy, but manageable. The analysis also showed that the department’s members didn’t have much time available for cross-training, working on projects outside of the normal day-to-day operations or keeping up on regular filing and administrative duties.

The budget estimates the part-time position to have a salary of $16,092. The city is estimated to pay $226,162 in salary and benefits to the four-member clerk department, which also includes Clerk-Treasurer Julie Flyckt and two full-time deputy clerk-treasurers.

In a message to the Ritzville City Council, Mayor Gary Cook said that the city’s annual budget has come a long way in the past three years. He said that this year’s budget is designed to meet seven goals, including: maintaining levels of service to the community it serves, working toward completing identified projects, identify future programs and projects, and continue developing infrastructure, historical revitalization and tourist projects.

“This budget is a team effort with valuable input from each of you, and your commitment and devotion to the city of Ritzville is greatly appreciated,” Mayor Cook said. “I’m especially proud of the city employees’ dedication and efforts. They are committed to serving the community as the ‘face’ of the city each day.”

Some of the city’s goals and projects in regards to infrastructure and growth include utilizing recently secured USDA Rural Development grant and loan funds to update the Koch Well, Well No. 8, water standpipe and water distribution lines. The city will also seek to develop a Capital Improvement Plan to identify current and future capital purchase needs, and also look into annexing properties located within the city’s boundary lines in an effort to plan for future growth.

In regards to transportation issues in 2020, the city plans to continue investing in the street crack-sealing program that has been ongoing for the past couple of years. The city also recently finished making the necessary purchases to implement the wayfinding plan that was developed in 2019 by the Health & Wellness Committee. Wayfinding signs with the city of Ritzville branding will be installed this year.

The city will also continue to assess the need for a quiet train zone, as well as research the feasibility of Amtrak selecting Ritzville as a future passenger stop. In July 2019, Mayor Cook appointed five residents to a newly established Amtrak Committee after funds were set aside in the state’s transportation budget to conduct a study of the feasibility of an east-west intercity passenger rail system.