PHOTO BY JENNIFER COLTON
The Umatilla City Council approved its $12.3 million 2015-16 budget Tuesday night.
The budget includes about $3.4 million in the General Fund, which includes administration and the police department. The other funds include Water ($1 million), Sewer ($1.3 million), Street ($1.1 million), Library ($195,000), Transient Room Tax ($218,000), Debt Service ($63,000), Refuse ($651,500), Capital Reserve ($355,000), Building Reserve ($117,000), Water Reserve ($310,000) and Sewer Reserve ($235,000).
City staff also pointed to two amendments to the budget since the council last saw the document: an expense of $1,000 to cover licensing costs to play movies at city parks during the summer and $3,280 for some personnel costs for the municipal court.
“We had already budgeted for intermittent relief for the Judge when she was out of office, but the growing pressure would be remediated through regular data entry assistance on a weekly basis,” City Manager Bob Ward has said.
In total, the budget required seven resolutions. All seven were approved unanimously by the council.
“I’m glad we have a good budget and a good finance officer to handle it,” Councilor George Fenton said.
In other business:
• Umatilla Chamber Director Karen Hutchinson-Talaski reported an attempted break-in at the visitor’s center. Hutchinson-Talaski said Umatilla Police responded to the scene in four minutes and there was no damage.
• The signs for the “Unlawful Transfer” ordinance approved last month have arrived and will soon be installed by city staff. The city ordinance makes it illegal to pass goods or money from a vehicle in a traffic lane to pedestrians and was inspired by panhandlers at the intersection of Highway 730 and Interstate 82.
• The council approved a franchise agreement for Stericycle to provide medical waste collection. This is the second nonexclusive franchise agreement for the service in the city and focuses primarily on Two Rivers Correctional Institution.
• The city will donate $500 to the “First Foods Festival,” formerly the Salmon Walk, and $350 to the League of Oregon Cities Foundation. The council unanimously approved each donation.
The next council meeting is 7 p.m. June 16 at Umatilla City Hall.
