During Wednesday night's meeting, the Budget Committee approved the proposed 2022-2023 budget for a total of $32,053,009.
Mayor Greg Mahler and City Councilors Diane Gerson, Susan Coleman, Lisa Gourley, Dylan Richards, Angelita Sanchez, and Dave Trask attended the budget meeting. Citizen budget committee members in attendance were Josh Thorstad, Kenneth Hamlin, Robert Briana, and David Lowman, with Derek Dix absent.
The Budget Committee also approved tax levies for next year. The Library Services local option levy was approved at its regular rate of $1.17 per $1,000 of Assessed Value (AV). The Police local option levy was approved with a 20% reduction. The majority of the committee decided that reducing the Police local option levy from $7.85 per $1,000 AV to $6.30 per $1,000 AV was necessary to continue to be good stewards of taxpayer funds and show the community the City will not take taxes it doesn't need. Councilor Lisa Gourley said about reducing the levy rate, "...they vote for it because they had the police's backs, right? and by giving it back, we're saying; 'We've got your back." The Public Safety Fund has a beginning fund balance of $3,000,000, enough to cover 12 months of operating expenditures at the start of the next fiscal year. At the reduced rate, we will fully fund the entire Police Department budget, including eight patrol officers, a school resource officer, two detectives, two sergeants, a captain and the chief position, the dispatch division with one commander and five dispatchers and a community services officer. The budget also includes replacing a patrol vehicle, the radio-system repeater, and appropriation of $220,000 for projects such as upgrading the aging HVAC system.
The proposed 2022-2023 Budget does not include any increases in water, sewer, or stormwater rates. However, it does include several capital projects, the most notable being the first phase of construction of the wastewater treatment plant, which has been in the planning stages for the past few years. The completion of this facility will bring the city into compliance with the federal Clean Water Act.
Sweet Home Finance Director Brandon Neish said, "I'm really excited about the opportunities this budget presents for the citizenry that keeps us moving forward. It maintains current services and frees up significant funds for capital projects that need to be done in town."
The approved budget now goes to the City Council for review and adoption. There will be a public hearing on June 14 where anyone may provide public comment. Community members will be able to attend the meeting in person or remotely via live.sweethomeor.gov. The public may also submit comments in writing before the meeting by mailing or dropping them off at City Hall, 3225 Main Street, Sweet Home, OR 97386, or emailing them to our City Manager Pro Tem, Christy Wurster, at cwurster@sweethomeor.gov. After the June 14 meeting, the council will potentially adopt the budget at their June 28 meeting.
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