Mayor's Budget Message

To: Citizens of Dayton

It is that time of the year to present you with the 2019 Budget for the City of Dayton.

2018 went by so fast that I really have to sit and think what we did this past year. Our theme for 2018 was “Building Infrastructure,” and we had a great amount of accomplishments in this area. The biggest project was the street repairs that were completed due to the damage our streets encountered during the freeze of January-February 2017. The city is spending the nearly $1 million that we received from FEMA, the State of Washington and Transportation Improvement Board (TIB).

The city also replaced the sewer main line and water main line in E. Washington Ave., and the water main lines in N. 5th St. and E. Patit Ave., allowing us to achieve one of our water system plan’s capital improvement priorities. With this work, the city partnered with Seneca Corporation to make street improvements to E. Patit Ave. and portions of N. 5th St.

The city utilized Transportation Benefit District funding to repair W. Washington Ave. from N. Front St. to E. Patit Ave. The city anticipates utilizing this funding source in 2019 to improve E. Clay St. from S. 7th St. to S. 8th St.; N. Cherry St. from W. Commercial Ave. to the end; and, S. 5th St. from Day St. to the end of the street.

We continue to apply for grants to get additional street work done in 2019. We were very successful in grant awards in 2018, and the city staff is to be highly commended for their work.

We have been working with the state to get funding for our new wastewater treatment plant, and we are close to purchasing land for the plant. In 2018, the city applied for funding through two competitive grant/loan programs and was awarded almost $1.5 million in low-interest loans (Public Works Board and Department of Ecology) and $495,000 in grant funding (Department of Ecology). The city council, staff and I see and understand that this state-mandated project has the potential to create a financial worry for each of our households. The city will continue to do everything within their powers to reduce, if not eliminate, that burden. We will be reaching out to each of you in the future to help make this happen by writing letters and phoning our state legislators.

The 2019 budget as proposed is higher than in 2018, primarily due to the anticipated new wastewater treatment plant. Our budget is balanced and includes raises in utility rates going toward water and sewer capital improvements.

Our contract with Columbia County for code enforcement and planning services has been highly beneficial to all parties. The service has been outstanding and has saved the citizens of Dayton money.

Our swimming pool did not open this year due to structural problems and safety issues. The city hired a consulting firm to do a thorough evaluation of the Dayton Swimming Pool facility. The report says, in so many words, that the facility has outlived its life and it will require approximately $2.5 million to rebuild or $2.55 million for a new facility exactly as we had. The city is unsure at this time what the next step is but will work closely with the Friends of the Dayton Community Swimming Pool to determine what to do next.

The flood of 1996 was almost 23 years ago, and history proves that severe flooding occurs about every 30-years in this valley. The city of Dayton and Columbia County are working together to form a flood control zone district to provide better flood control for the entire area. This measure will be sent to the voters on the November 2019 ballot.

Construction is underway in Caboose Park to finish up the overall plan for the park. The final portion is being done thanks to a generous grant from the Sherwood Trust and Blue Mountain Community Foundation, and donations from the Dayton Development Task Force and others.

The Dayton Main Street Tree Committee is working on coming up with a plan for our downtown trees as to maintaining and replacing them as necessary. This will be an on-going process into 2019

The city council and staff continue to work in making Dayton the best place to live in the state. We are very receptive to and always looking for input from the community on how to make Dayton better.

This will be my last “Mayor’s Budget Message,” as my wife Kathy and I are moving to the north Tucson, Ariz. area in the late spring of 2019. It has been an honor and a privilege to serve as your Mayor for the past 11 years.

With much gratitude,

Craig George, Mayor