Cashmere schedules budget talks after election to account for Prop 1 outcome

CASHMERE — Cashmere will hold a budget workshop after the Nov. 3 election so council members can weigh spending decisions with a clearer picture of whether voters have approved Proposition 1.

At its Sept. 28 meeting, the City Council settled on a Nov. 6 workshop from noon to 2 p.m. City Clerk Elizabeth Martinez said waiting until after the election would help officials discuss the 2027 budget with more information about the proposed property tax levy lid lift.

The measure’s outcome will help determine what revenue the city can count on and whether officials need to consider even more spending reductions than the extensive ones they’ve already undertaken before even coming to the voters with the public safety levy request. Martinez said a workshop before the election would leave council members debating competing scenarios.

“If we do anything sooner, I’m afraid that we’re gonna meet and we’re gonna be talking with what-ifs,” she said.

The workshop will follow the election by three days. Results available then will be preliminary, but should give officials a better indication of the measure’s prospects before the council’s regular Nov. 9 meeting.

During the discussion, officials estimated that Proposition 1 would provide about $70,000 in additional revenue. They emphasized that passage would not dramatically expand near-term spending, but that rejection could dramatically affect how the city approaches its financial decisions.

Martinez said she could try to prepare budget options with and without the additional money, but wanted council members to have time to discuss their priorities before adopting a spending plan.

The council also approved a budget review schedule intended to allow adoption by its final regular meeting of the year, Dec. 14. Officials said a revenue hearing before the election would give residents another opportunity to ask questions about city finances and property taxes before voting.

Beyond the levy’s outcome, Martinez wants the budget discussions to give council members a clearer understanding of what is driving costs.

She said she was working to assemble historical comparisons of prosecution and jail expenses for the second October council meeting. Those reports would help show how costs have changed and what the increases could mean for the coming year.

Martinez cautioned that possible cuts should follow a closer examination of the numbers. Some areas may be budgeted too high while others are budgeted too low, she said.

Council members and staff also discussed changing how the budget is presented. Mayor Jim Fletcher said dividing labor expenses among numerous categories makes it difficult to determine the savings from a potential staffing change or assess the cost of providing a service.

He said the budget should more clearly connect spending to the council’s priorities.

Martinez said she also wants financial discussions to become a regular part of council business rather than concentrating them at the end of the year.

“I think it should be something that we should be seeing and talking about throughout the year,” she said.

For the upcoming budget, however, the immediate question is what voters decide Nov. 3. The Nov. 6 workshop is intended to give the council time to consider that outcome before moving ahead with its spending decisions.

Andrew Simpson: 509-433-7626 or andrew@ward.media