City Council held public budget hearing

DAYTON- Mayor Zac Weatherford called the Dayton City Council to order at 6:00 p.m., November 21, 2023. Mayor Zac Weatherford and council members Teeny McMunn, James Su'euga, Michael Smith, and Shannon McMillen were present in City Hall. Kyle Anderson participated using Zoom. Dain Nysoe and Laura Aukerman were not present.

Most of the action items for this evening's meeting had been discussed during earlier meetings. This special meeting was scheduled for the council to vote on resolutions in their final form so that the city administration can complete next year's budget before the first of January.

No one spoke during the first public comment period. The council approved the city's voucher warrants.

The mayor opened a public hearing on the preliminary 2024 budget. McMunn asked what changes had been made to the preliminary budget since the last meeting, but otherwise, there was no public comment, and the public hearing closed.

The council unanimously approved Ordinance 2008, which increases the utility tax on water and wastewater from 12% to 15%.

The council next considered and approved Resolution 1526, amending the master fee schedule for water usage rates, specifically excessive use over 800 sq. ft. per month. On average, a family of four in Dayton consumes about 2000 sq. ft. of water. The measure would increase that family's bill by $3.60.

The council approved the salary schedule for Dayton's non-contractual employees, which must be decided annually.

Following that, the council approved, without dissent, an order with Anderson Perry & Associates, Inc. to update the city's water system plan as required by the Washington State Department of Health.

The last action item for council consideration was an update on the interlocal agreement between Dayton and Columbia County for law enforcement services. The change modifies the ending date of when the Consumer Price Index (CPI) is measured. The amount the city pays the county is predicated on the CPI, and this change will allow budgets to be calculated more easily. The update was passed unanimously.

The mayor gave a progress report on the wastewater treatment project in his report. Also, he announced that a public hearing on the Conditional Use Permit is scheduled for 2:30 p.m. on December 12 in council chambers and on Zoom. Written comments from the public must be submitted by December 11, 2023.

The council meeting adjourned, and the next meeting is scheduled for Tuesday, December 5, 2023, at 6 p.m.