Soap Lake approves 2007 budget

Two members vote against adopting the 2007 budget

SOAP LAKE — After several changes, the Soap Lake City Council approved their 2007 budget with a 5-2 vote Wednesday night.

Councilmembers DeVaun Black and Kandis Lair voted against the budget because of how it was balanced.

It is not balanced in an effective manner, Black said. About $81,000 was transferred from reserves to the general fund to balance it, he said.

The money is in reserves for emergency use only, Black added. Drawing money out of the reserves could result in the loss of approximately $5,000 worth of interest the city could have collected, he added.

The council also made changes to the $6,000 allotted for Mayor Wayne Hovde to use.

The funds are to take care of transportation and lodging bills for when the mayor attends out-of-town meetings when he is representing Soap Lake.

Councilmember Marina Romary said she was looking for some kind of documentation of the mayor's expenses.

The council voted to remove the expense from the fund with a 5-2 vote. Councilmembers JoAnn Rushton and Barney Berg voted against it.

The council voted to accept the fund back into the budget after changing it to a reimbursable expense line item with a 2-1 vote. Councilmembers John Hillman and Romary voted for it. Black voted against it. All other councilmembers abstained from the vote.

The mayor must collect receipts of his expenses and be reimbursed for them later. Previously there was no record keeping to reduce paperwork, Hovde said.

The council also approved an additional $10,000 to fund the purchase of a city wood chipper to help citizens dispose of garden debris and other wood during burn bans.