City okays contract for restoration work

RITZVILLE – City Council members approved a contract for porch roof repairs on the Dr. Frank R. Burroughs Home and Museum, a house owned by the city and listed on the National Register of Historic places.

The contract with Brian Westmoreland of Authentic Restorations Services, Inc. out of Spokane is for an estimated $30,59 in repairs to the porch of this home built in 1890 and a part of the Historic Ritzville Walking Tour.

Public Works Director Dave Braezeale said the total bid for needed repairs is $65,000, so it was broken down into a two-step process. Phase I will address issues with the roof leaking, the stone columns and deck fittment.

"We need to get moving on this before winter comes in and bites us," Breazeale said. "Brian is very reputable. He is probably in the top two or three in the state for the kind of work he does."

Council member discussed the contract at length, including input from city attorney John Kragt, before approving it.

Council members also approved an agreement with the Washington State Department of Transportation for maintenance of city Wayfinding signs in the DOT right of way.

They discussed at length approving a reimbursement aggreement with DOT for installation of two wayfinding signs on I-90. After deciding the document needed more clarification, they postponed approving it to the next city council meeting.

Council members approved an amendment with the Department of Commerce for CARES Act Relief funds for COVID-19. The amendment was for approximately $24,900 additional funds, for a total of $74,700.

"It's rare when we get an amendment we're going to get more money," Clerk-Treasurer Julie Flyckt said. Flyckt said the city has about $35,000 worth of receipts to turn in for reimbursement, including costs of quarantine, masks, cleaning supplies, a website set up for golf course fees to be paid online, and construction changes to the city hall entryway to increase safety between city staff and the public.

Flyckt presented a financial report for the month of August, as well as a quarterly summary which showed city revenue down 11 percent from the past year for sales tax.

"I wanted to give you a financial report as you start looking at the draft budget," Flyckt said. The council will meet Oct. 2 for a budget workshop. Council member Michelle Plumb pointed out the importance of having data from the recent Community Survey to include during budget discussions.

The 2021Draft Budget Final Budget Summary shows a beginning fund balance of $4,754,000, an estimated 2021 revenue of $10,278,855 and projected expenditures of $10,785,191. The ending fund balance is listed as $4,697,664 on the draft budget final summary.

The 2021 Current Expense fund has a beginning balance of $60,000, estimated revenue of $1,037,234 and projected expenditures of $1,075,320 in 2021 for an ending fund balance of $21,914.

Flyckt said per the finance consultant's advice, the Finance Committee, Mayor Cook and herself were working on having the expenditures match the revenue for the Current Expense fund as much as possible.

"This fund has a history of utilizing the fund balance, which is a measure of resources available to be spent. The fund balance is also utilized for ongoing cash flow," Flyckt said. She said in order to balance the negative $38,086 difference between 2021 projected revenue and expenditures, 3.67% of the fund balance is currently calculated to be used. In 2020, 10% of the fund balance was calculated to balance the budget.

"We've made some good cuts in the budget to reach that goal," Flyckt said. She said Department Heads decreased budgeted expenditures overall by negative 139%.

The 2020 budget included hiring a fifth police officer, utilizing new public safety tax funds and the law and justice fund.

"The mayor and Julie and the council agreed it would be best during this unknown COVID thing if we held off," Police Chief Dave McCormick reported when council member Dede Boyer asked if he was going to hire another officer. "We put it off until January of 2021. There's a very good likelihood it will take two to three months to find the right candidate and get them hired. We think it's critical to hire someone, but we didn't move forward because of the unknown."

"Your existing patrolmen are really being run into the ground because of no backup, so my understanding was you wanted to get someone on board as soon as possible," Boyer said.

"The chief and Julie and myself talked about that at length today," Mayor Cook said. "This will be an ongoing process."

Breazeale reported the city golf course is looking at needing to replace at least two greens, at an estimated cost of $12,000 to replace 6,000 square feet of turf.

"That's just for the two bad greens; there's more damage on others," Breazeale said, adding that if the damage was shown to be caused by water rationing when the Standpipe water tank was being resurfaced, the cost might be able to be passed on to that project.

The city is working on adopting a fee schedule the same as the county's. Mayor Cook said the schedule would be more comprehensive and inclusive, and it would simplify things for the building inspector to be "working under one set of rules."

"It looks like it really is kind of making it a lot easier all the way around," Cook said.

"It's really simplifying the permitting process," Flyckt said.

The license and rules committee denied a request for a domestic foul permit. According to Flyckt, chickens can be inside city limits, but only if part of a 4H or FFA project and the owner has secured support from all surrounding neighbors.