Ruston 2008 Budget

Following is my personal summary and opinion on the council's 2008 budget. It is not intended to cover all sides of each issue any more than the Ruston Connection review does. I encourage everyone to get involved, attend the meetings and get the full flavor of these important discussions and decisions. Thanks for caring ~ Karen

The mayor proposed a 2008 budget in early November that was provided to the public for review. After the new council was seated on December 3rd and the majority clearly assured for the Ruston Connection (RC) friends, their council members moved on several major budget revisions, none of which was provided to the public prior to adoption.

The mayor had proposed a 2-step wage increase for town employees with another step increase in July. Everding proposed a 1-step increase with an “equality study” to review what other municipalities are paying their employees as a basis for any potential wage increase at mid-year. Hedrick proposed a 3-step increase immediately because town employees had worked so many years without any raise.

Everding also drastically reduced overtime across the board, giving only 8 hours per year for the clerk-treasurer (who must attend evening council meetings weekly as well as do all the town’s budget, building permit and general administration work).

The mayor proposed upgrading the utility clerk to full time for 2008. He noted that the duties required by staff had increased greatly in recent years, but there had not been a corresponding increase in personnel. But Everding removed this increase in staff as well. He suggested looking at additional sources of taxation as a way to increase revenues.

The mayor has been pushing since he took office for professional reviews to advise how to manage growth and economic development potential. Everding felt those reviews could be done by citizen volunteers.

An on-going budget issue in 2007 has been legal and planning costs. Rather than pay what the mayor had proposed, Huson wanted a full-time, in-house attorney hired, as well as a full-time planner. Those ideas were not immediately approved. Instead, Huson presented a hand-written proposal to greatly reduce the amount of time the town planner would be budgeted.

The police department had provided a review of pay scales of other local police departments to justify their wage increase as proposed. Some testified at the meeting that the pay rate for our police should be based on small towns from Eastern Washington rather than our local area.

All of Everding’s and Huson’s changes were adopted, despite being presented at the last minute and on several pieces of paper. Our town clerk-treasurer is used to juggling such theatrics. I’m sure she will be able to pull all this together into an understandable, albeit biased budget.

I am concerned that the council will twist their “equality study” when setting wages for our town employees. They appear to be looking at “inequitable” communities in Eastern Washington in order to justify what is likely a predetermined wage scale. This group has clear vendettas against many employees; essentially anyone who worked for a previous administration and/or has ever questioned any one of their members.

It is very frustating to have Council Member Everding talk of raising taxes to increase revenues when he refused to accept $24,000 in 2007 purely out of spite. The council choose to fight the Comencement condo's use of their sales center in the Ruston School building rather than accepting their offer to pay rent on the space through the end of the year. It was clear that they would occupy the space anyway while the legal questions were sorted out, but it was too much to ask the council to forgo their hatred of the project and use some common sense. Instead of accepting thousands of additional dollars, they spent almost as much to fight them with no difference in the outcome - its the end of December and the sales center is still in the same space.

Interestingly enough, I found myself agreeing on some issues. We are spending too much for planning and legal advice. But much of those costs are due to the council’s actions. And I think much of the growth and economic development review can and should be done by a broad-based citizens group. But this council disbanded the economic development committee when they took office two years ago, loosing precious time on this important issue.

Finding anyone willing to enter this increasingly bitter political fracas to work on such a committee is nearly impossible now. The last committee appointed impartially studied the fire department. Their recommendations have been ignored and their work labeled as “politicized” because it do not match the RC pre-determined mantra.

The greatest danger this council (and our community) faces is the silencing of any contrary or outside voices. The RC pursuit of and bitter attack on anyone who disagrees with them is taking its toll, it is more and more challenging to find new faces willing to speak openly. In the long run, even council members Everding, Stebner, Huson, Albertson and their RC friends loose by the silence they create.