Sandpoint cuts $100,000 from budget

SANDP0INT — In an effort to thwart an expected revenue shortfall, Mayor Gretchen Hellar recently cut more than $100,000 from the city’s operating budget, and more cuts could be on the way.

In April, Hellar began asking department heads to review their budgets for areas to cut or postpone after learning from Treasurer Shannon Syth that a number of revenue sources would likely fall well short of expectations. Syth estimates lower-than-expected revenue from the resort city tax, sales tax and various licensing fees.

While it is uncertain how much affect the shortage will have on the city, Hellar chose to make what she calls “proactive cuts” to avoid having to make larger cuts later in the year.

“The reason I’m doing this is because we don’t want to get into a budget crisis, like some cities have done … ,” she said. “What happens is if I wait until September and we’re $200,000 short, I’m probably going to have to reduce police by half, fire by half and shut the parks. By doing it over six months, it kind of stretches the pain out.”

The largest of the cuts comes from the Public Work Department’s asphalt overlay budget. The city is cutting $50,00 of the program’s $250,000 budget, which equates to approximately six or seven blocks of overlay work, according to Public Works Director Kody Van Dyk.

Van Dyk said he chose to cut overlay work because it is one of the few non-essential, non-required aspects of his budget.

“Although I hate to do it, this is not something I absolutely had to do this year,” he said. “I’m required to stripe the streets. I’m required to sweep. I’m required to paint crosswalks. This is not something I’m absolutely required to do, so it was a place I could cut.”

The Public Works Department’s large budget means it faces the most sizable reduction, but the city’s other departments are not immune from the cuts.

The Planning Department scrapped plans to hire an intern to work on downtown revitalization, which will save the city $7,000. The Fire Department cut $4,000 from its fire and hazmat training program, and the Parks and Recreation department eliminated more than $6,000 from its general maintenance funds. Parks and Recreation Director Kim Woodruff also postponed plans to replace four steel pilings at City Beach, as well as plans to repair bike paths in Travers Park, which will save the city more than $5,000.

Hellar will keep an eye on tax figures as they come in and said more cuts could be on the way. She has yet to finalize any future plans, but Hellar said any non-essential items could potentially go, even the lifeguard program at City Beach. She hopes it is not required, but Hellar said cutting lifeguards could save the city $60,000 per year.

“(Having lifeguards) is not something we’re required to do, it’s something we want to do,” she said. “But if push came to shove and we didn’t have the money to pay them, we’d have to cut that program.”

Hellar stressed than none of the cuts or potential cuts are permanent, and most if not all will be back in next year’s budget.