Actually it’s more than half-a-billion, the full total is $618,984,772.00. On Wednesday the Everett City Council will hold the first of three readings of an ordinance setting the 2019 budget. A public hearing and final reading and vote on the ordinance is set for Wednesday November 28th.
This is the first budget for Everett Mayor Cassie Franklin. On Feb. 23, 2018, the Mayor issued a directive charging City staff in all departments to find ways to address the ongoing structural budget deficit in the City’s general government budget.Through that process the city identified more than $5.6 million dollars in cost reductions. The city also worked on restructuring departments and making sure that money spent on a program was credited to that specific program to get a better handle exactly what costs are associated with a particular service. The administration also worked over the summer and early fall with the city council budget committee leading to a balanced budget for 2019.
For 2020 however the city is looking at a deficit of $10.9 million dollars, growing to $20.6 million dollars by 2023. That is leading the Mayor to ask for a study of how the City of Everett delivers services to taxpayers. In 2019 four departments will be studied.
The outcome of the study could eventually lead to merging services provided by one or more of the departments with other service providers outside of the city in a regional or shared services model. The city will look at the current model of service, identify potential alternatives, consider the overall costs of changing the way services are provided and report back to the Everett City Council. The process is designed to be deliberate and citizens won’t see any movement for some time.
If you’d like to have input on the current 2019 budget as proposed you can contact any of the city council members or attend the official public hearing on the budget on November 28th prior to final council action.
If you’d like to do a deep dive into the budget for 2019 here is the link to the full budget as currently proposed.
November 11, 2018
Everett Government