LAKE STEVENS — The city hopes to hire four new employees, manage milfoil and algae in the lake, and spruce up some of its parks, piers and roundabouts in the coming year, according to the proposed 2015 budget.
The council is reviewing the preliminary budget and taking comments from people who live in Lake Stevens. A public hearing, followed by a vote on adopting the budget, is scheduled for 7 p.m. Monday at the Lake Stevens School District Education Service Center, 12309 22nd St. NE.
The proposal calls for a decrease in the city’s tax rate and no changes in fees. Lake Stevens officials expect to levy $1.57 cents per $1,000 assessed property value, 3 cents less than the $1.60 per $1,000 levied this year. That means city taxes on a $250,000 home in 2015 would be $392, about $8 less than 2014 taxes.
The budget shows a 13 percent year-over-year increase in total city funds, from $16.4 million to $18.5 million. Officials anticipate an 11 percent increase in the city’s general fund, which is mostly property taxes divvied up among core city services like planning, police and parks. The 2015 expenditures are estimated at about $9.3 million, up from $8.4 million in 2014. Higher property values, more taxable purchases and reserves from past years contribute to the larger general fund.
The budget includes a 2 percent cost-of-living increase in city salaries and a 6 percent increase in benefits. The city hopes to hire a police officer, two crew workers for the Public Works Department and an economic development coordinator, all full-time positions.
The additional officer would allow the police department to decrease overtime and ramp up traffic enforcement, city administrator Jan Berg said. The public works employees would focus on maintaining streets and stormwater systems, and the economic development coordinator on business recruitment, grant writing and tourism, she said.
The new positions would cost $266,000 next year, with $45,000 coming from the general fund and $221,000 from reserves.
Along with adding employees, a number of new projects are listed in the budget. There are plans to resurface the pier at North Cove Park, update the Lundeen House, install art at roundabouts and purchase new police and city vehicles. Other expenses spill over from past years, such as street overlays, sidewalk repairs, crosswalk upgrades, tree removal and treatments to kill milfoil and control algae in the lake.
Milfoil management is budgeted at $45,000 this year. Another $100,000 is set aside for aluminum sulfate treatments to control phosphorus levels in the lake. High phosphorous leads to more algae. Snohomish County covers about 11 percent of the algae control and 20 percent of the milfoil control.
The state Department of Ecology also has helped fund milfoil management through a grant that ends in June. The city may gain additional grant funds, but none have been awarded yet, Berg said.
The council may adopt the budget Monday. If necessary, the hearing can be extended and the budget adopted Dec. 8.
Kari Bray: kbray@heraldnet.com, 425-339-3439
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