Yakima did not include funding for replacement vehicles for its first-responders. | Stock Photo
Yakima did not include funding for replacement vehicles for its first-responders. | Stock Photo
A Yakima City Council member warned that not including funding in the city’s 2021 budget for police and fire vehicle replacement will create a problem as the council approved its budget.
Council member Kay Funk told the governing body that failing to allocate funds for replacement vehicles will become an issue, the Yakima Herald reported on Dec. 4.
Despite his plea, the governing body approved the budget without adding vehicle funding.
The $249.8 million spending plan falls $2.5 million short of what Yakima anticipates spending in the current fiscal year. General fund expenditures for 2021 were projected at $69.6 million, the publication reported.
The pandemic continues to influence the budget, Finance and Budget Director Steve Groom said, with uncertainty in the sales tax forecast despite an apparent recovery, the Yakima Herald reported. He told the council that the sales tax collection was down in May and June with an upswing through October.
Funding for public safety was essentially unchanged, with approximately $29 million for the police department and $15.7 million for the fire department, the Yakima Herald reported.
The city approved its solid-waste collection rate in November, allowing a 3.5% increase through 2025, the Yakima Herald reported. Most customers — who have 96-gallon bins — will pay an extra 75 cents per month for garbage services. A 32-gallon bin carries a 60-cent increase.
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