The City of Auburn builds its biennial budget around the best data available when it compiles the document.
But in these hard times, a number of wild cards that can’t be included in the document loom over the 2011-2012 biennial budget.
Among these are expenditures to meet the threat of possible floods, storms and snow and $2 to $4 billion in possible state cuts that could hit cities. The King County Council has talked about trimming its budget by cutting criminal justice law enforcement (28 deputies) and by eliminating its social services and social programs budget, among other possibilities. The upshot is a greater burden for cities.
During a recent budget workshop, Auburn officials had a few choice words for King County.
“King County has not done a single thing in the way of responsible governing that I can see,” said Auburn Mayor Pete Lewis “And now with the failure of their proposition to raise taxes (in the last election), their statement is … this needs to be done so that citizens feel the pain.’ ”
The City Council held a hearing on the budget Monday, but approval will have to wait for another meeting.
Council members did approve property taxes for collection in Auburn in 2011 in the amount of $14.4 million, in accordance with statutory limits that restrict any increase to 1 percent of the previous year’s levy, which was $14.2 million. That comes to about $1.89 per thousand of assessed valuation. The total assessed valuation figure does not yet include new construction.
As of Oct. 21, the King County Assessor’s Office showed a total assessed value – the assessor rolls the Pierce County section of Auburn into the number – of $7.6 billion, an overall 2½ percent decrease from last year’s figure. Pierce County took an 11-percent hit in assessed value for 2011, while King County has sustained a 3-percent hit.
The City of Auburn relies on multiple streams of revenue: taxes, licensing and permit fees, governmental charges for services, fines, forfeitures and court activity, charges for services, parks, arts and recreation activities, senior center activities, planning department activities including plan reviews, intergovernmental loans and grants, interest and rentals.
Auburn’s 2011-2012 biennial budget anticipates revenues of $146 million city-wide and expenditures of $193 million. The difference is mainly large public works projects that call for one-time monies to be used for one-time purposes. Twenty-five capital projects totalling $16.6 million have been budgeted for 2011 and 14 capital projects totaling $18 million are budgeted for 2012.
Major works
Significant projects include the following:
• Phase 1 of the A Street Northwest project, which calls for the construction of a multi-lane arterial from Third Street Northwest to 14th Street Northwest: $6.9 million in 2011.
• The M Street grade-separation project, which will construct a grade separation railroad crossing of M Street Southeast at the BNSF Stampede Pass line: $2.1 million in 2011 and $13 million in 2012.
• The South 277th Auburn Way North to Green River Bridge project, which includes major widening of South 277th Street: $276,500 in 2012.
The budget anticipates a general fund balance of about $48 million for both 2011 and 2012. The general fund is used to pay for the city’s day-to-day operations, with salaries and benefits making up the bulk of it.The City anticipates no layoffs, but staffing will decrease in 2011 because of the opening of the South Correctional Entity (SCORE) in Des Moines. On Jan. 1, all City correctional staff will become SCORE personnel.
At the time the City was preparing the budget, said Financial Director Shelley Coleman, it anticipated the passage of Initiatives 1100 and 1105, which called for privatizing state liquor sales. Passage would have cost the City liquor revenues and profits it receives from the state.
