Rachel Rosen reports from the Oak Harbor City Council workshop meeting of Wed., Oct. 28, 2022.
Oak Harbor officials recently laid out two years of spending plans, which includes large road projects, a downtown revitalization study, the purchase of a marina boat yard and new places to play pickleball….
The proposed budget for the next two years is $250.9 million, compared to the 2021-22 budget of $242.1 million – an $8.8 million dollar increase. In a statement, Mayor Robert Severns said the increase was due to the inclusion of project priorities.
They Said It
According to [Mayor Bob Severns‘] statement, the city grew its unencumbered fund balance in the city’s general fund over the last two years. The year 2021 ended with $2.7 million in the fund balance as opposed to the expected amount of $500,000.
“This was due in part to better than projected sales tax revenues and various expenditures coming in under budget attributed to the ongoing effects of the pandemic,” Severns said, adding that this trend is projected to continue in 2022 with an addition of $600,000.
Severns recommended reducing the level of roadway improvements funded by state motor vehicle fuel tax revenues since they have stagnated or decreased since a peak in 2007. During the workshop, Councilmembers Shane Hoffmire and Jim Woessner raised concerns about reducing street maintenance.
“I would hope that we’d make sure at least a half million is going into that,” Hoffmire said of road improvements.
