Baker council adopts annual budgets, approves 4% raise for city employees

The Baker City Council on June 24 adopted six ordinances that together set the city’s fiscal 2025 budgets and programs, including a 4% across‑the‑board raise for civil‑service employees. Council members approved ordinances covering the general fund, special revenue funds, capital program, utility fund, cemetery fund and sewer revenue fund.

Mayor Darnell Waits summarized highlights during the public meeting, saying one key element of the budget is a 4% raise for all civil‑service employees and that the document has been balanced. "One of the highlights of the budget is the 4% raise that we have for all the employees, and not the contract, but all, all the employees in civil service," he said on the record.

The council moved through the six public hearings and votes in sequence: Ordinance 2025‑7 (general fund operating budget), 2025‑8 (special revenue funds), 2025‑9 (capital budget and program), 2025‑10 (utility funds), 2025‑11 (cemetery fund), and 2025‑12 (sewer revenue fund). Each ordinance was moved and seconded and carried in recorded roll calls; the council described the overall budget as balanced and indicated the planned total was in the neighborhood of $15–16 million after trimming.

Council discussion included confirmation that the budget had been available for review for several weeks and staff had answered questions from council members. The council also noted limited additions of part‑time positions in the plan and that audits and financial controls are current.

What happened: formal adoption of the fiscal 2025 budgets across city funds and approval of a 4% raise for civil‑service employees. What didn’t happen: no new long‑term borrowing, no contract awards for capital construction; those steps would require separate council actions if and when needed.

Council members said staff will continue to report on implementation and that departmental managers will carry out the budgeted programs.