It’s impossible to move forward and talk about the 2010 budget without going backwards to discuss the economic event of the last two years.  The big story is the “Great Recession” that we now know started in 2007.  The City of Orting began to feel the impact of this recession with a slowdown in building and increases in commercial space vacancy rates.  The net result was a decrease of about 25% in sales tax revenues and a 75 percent decrease in building department revenues.  The City went from a general fund budget of about $3.7 million to about $3.1 million.  This is like your own family annual income dropping from $50,000 to $42,000. 

The City government responded to the decreased revenues by making reductions in its expenses for the 2009 year.  We let go 10 percent of the workforce, froze wages and eliminated other expenses.  We made the hard decisions and fortunately the City hasn’t had to make further cuts midyear as you have probably read about other cities and counties making.

 Like most American’s I keep a critical eye on government spending and want to make sure my tax dollars are spent conservatively.  I want to assure you that Orting government watches every nickel.  We have 30 full time staff which includes all the public utilities, administration, police, court, building department, and Parks and Recreation.  For comparison purposes we have one staff for every 169 citizens versus a city such as Sumner which has one staff person for every 80 citizens or Buckley at 1 staff for every 112 citizens.  The reason these cities have more staff is that they have more revenue generating services including more retail establishments and/or industrial development.  In the future, Orting’s Engfer and Gratzer developments on SR 162 will provide more revenue for government and take some of the pressure off of the citizens’ pocket books.

So how does this work into the 2010 budget?  First it is very difficult to predict the economy in the next couple of years.  National economists are all over the map.  Our strategy will be to remain conservative.  We will continue to expect depressed sales taxes and building revenue.  So our 2010 budget will look much like the 2009 budget.

Our citizen survey this fall revealed that the public would like to see an increase in Parks and Recreation offerings.  We will work hard on this and try to do so without incurring any additional expenses over revenues. 

The City’s utilities remain healthy and will see steady improvements throughout the next few years.  The downtown rechannelization and beautification project will be complete in 2010.  This project will reduce evening commute times on SR162 as traffic will get through the Calistoga/Washington intersection more quickly.  This will help meet the number one concern Orting citizens have repeatedly expressed which is traffic congestion.  The streetscaping with turn of the century lighting and new landscaping will make the downtown more inviting and continue to make Orting a tourist destination.

A new outfall pipe has recently been installed between wet lands and the Puyallup River to take stormwater away and not allow the river to back flow into the city.  This will make improve our chances of not seeing flood damage.  The City will continue work that will ultimately see the construction of a new FEMA certified set back levee on the Puyallup River.   Although the new levee is probably several years away, the resources we are using now to plan, design, and acquire property will make it possible.  The City will also continue to lobby county, state, and federal authorities to better manage the Puyallup and Carbon Rivers and reduce the risk of future flooding.

The City plans to complete the north end reservoir in 2010.  This is one of the final improvements to the water system that will provide water capacity and pressure to meet the town’s full development.   Water availability will be one of the most important resources in the 21^st century and Orting is prepared.

Stormwater will be under more governmental and environmental scrutiny than any other utility system in the next few years.  The need for cleaner rivers, lakes, and the Puget Sound are heavily dependent upon treated stormwater runoff.  The City will use significant resources to better manage the quality of our stormwater as well as the volume which often causes minor flooding within the town. 

2010 will be a challenging year.  We live in extraordinary times. Your city government is up to the challenge.  We will continue to make Orting a great place to live work and play. 

The entire budget can be view HERE.