The Ketchum City Council adopted a proposed 2007-2008 budget on Monday night after expressing dissatisfaction with the budget discussion process.
Council members will begin talking about specifics right away before a scheduled final adoption on Sept. 4 following a public hearing. In adopting the proposed budget they also agreed, on a three-to-one vote, to add $200,000 to the general fund that could be added to the final budget. Councilman Steve Shafran wanted to see, in the next two weeks of discussions, if revenue projections were overly conservative.
The total general fund, before the addition, was just over $9.6 million, and total expenditures for the proposed budget are just over $19 million.
The council was chagrined, saying there had been little prior discussion before considering the proposed budget.
"There's been no budget. I haven't seen one," Shafran said early in the meeting.
The council asked by cell phone that City Administrator Ron LeBlanc, who was attending the community meeting at the Hemingway Elementary School over the Castle Rock Fire, join the budget discussion. Mayor Randy Hall left the council meeting to attend the fire meeting.
LeBlanc explained to council members that they were not adopting the budget with the proposed resolution but that they also could not, by law, subsequently increase the proposed amounts. They could only move them around within various departments.
Shafran said he didn't know what amount was being considered for city contract planner Lisa Horowitz, who works on the team examining perspective hotels. Shafran called the process "the height of irresponsibility."
"We've had trouble getting a quorum," LeBlanc said. He noted that prior council meetings had been consumed with zoning issue and council salary increase public hearings. "We haven't had everybody in the same room at the same time."
Councilman Baird Gourlay expressed concern over meeting legal requirements on receiving $5 million in property tax from Blaine County but LeBlanc said that amount would not change. Councilwoman Terry Tracy voted against adding the $200,000 to the general fund and also expressed unhappiness with the process. The council continued the meeting to Tuesday, Aug. 21, and will continue to hash out budget specifics.
In other actions the council:
· Passed a final reading of an ordinance increasing the salaries of the mayor and council. The mayor's salary is increased from $1,500 to $3,000 per month, and council salaries will go from $1,250 to $1,666.67 monthly.
· Approved a resolution for a right-of-way agreement between the city and Wood River Community Wi-Fi Corp. for the installation and maintenance of antennas on streetlights in the downtown core.
