CITY OF FORKS TIGHTENS SPENDING BELT

By Chris Cook - Forks Forum Editor

The ordinance enacting the $5.694 million 2009 City of Forks budget was approved unanimously by the Forks City Council on Monday, Dec. 8.

The 2008 city budget totaled about $5 million. The boost in the 2009 budget comes through the addition of insurance payments, grant dollars and state transportation dollars.

The bulk of the city’s income comes from sales tax and property tax revenue.

A reduction in the operating costs in the budget is coming through a freeze in Forks Police Department hiring.

Three police department positions are vacant, with a fourth being held open for Officer Erik Hansen, who was deployed to Iraq for an 18-month tour of duty.

One of the vacant positions will hopefully be filled in the new year, Mayor Nedra Reed said last week. Forks Police Chief Mike Powell and his Deputy Chief Lloyd Lee plan to cover patrol shifts when possible.

No layoffs or other hiring freezes are planned in any other department, though Reed plans to monitor city income and expenses on a monthly basis, rather than the usual quarterly review.

Major city projects coming up in 2009 include work on a fire damaged building at Quillayute Airport, which is being paid for with $450,000 in insurance funds, and improvements to Bogachiel Way including repaving, road realignment and construction of sidewalks in some areas. The $1.5 million Bogachiel Way project is receiving federal transportation funds passed on  to the city through the state.

Federal CDBG grant funds are underwriting an access road that feeds into Bogachiel Way for traffic going to the new Bogachiel Clinic now under construction, and to a planned new low-income housing development and a new West End Outreach club house.

The budget report shows the City of Forks reserve fund covered over $70,000 in attorney fees in 2008 due to the court case involving three Forks Police Department employees who claimed they were unlawfully fired.