Ellensburg staff outline $126 million budget, spending limits and recordkeeping rules

City staff provided an overview of Ellensburg's budget, fiscal controls and public-records and open-meeting rules at a public orientation meeting, saying the city's annual operating budget is roughly $126,000,000 and that officials must follow state limits on local taxation.

The presentation said Ellensburg's population is "just under 21,000" and described the city's biennial budgeting practice and financial controls. "We all have to be accountable for every single penny that we spend, because these are public dollars that belong to our community," a staff presenter said.

City staff said the general fund services covered in the overview include police, library, parks and recreation and street engineering. They described revenue sources as taxes (the largest share), fees for services, intergovernmental grants, fines and miscellaneous income such as interest earnings. The presenters showed a pie-chart breakdown that indicated about 62% of general fund revenues come from taxes.

The presenters described the city's budget practices: adopting a two-year (biennial) budget while maintaining annual financial statements; matching ongoing programs to ongoing revenues; using one-time revenue only for one-time expenditures; and maintaining internal controls and documented policies for procurement, investments, travel, grants and contract management. The finance presentation said the city tracks fund balances across more than 50 funds and invests available cash to earn interest.

Staff reviewed limitations on local taxing authority, noting the city can only levy taxes authorized by the state and specifically referred to a voter-approved limit that restricts property tax increases to about 1% per year. They also noted a separate, voter-approved 0.3% measure for criminal justice that is accounted for in a restricted fund and therefore not shown in the general fund slice presented.

Speakers explained the legal framework for public business: the Open Public Meetings Act and the Public Records Act require meeting notices, access to meetings and retention of records. The presentation said council members must be cautious about communications related to city business because such communications can be public records, and that the council has adopted rules that include reading ordinances twice to allow public comment.

The presentation closed with a brief description of council responsibilities and meeting schedules (regular council meetings held the first and third Tuesday of each month at 7 p.m.), a reminder of residency and other statutory qualifications for council members, and an explanation that study sessions differ from formal council meetings under the council's rules.

City staff did not propose or vote on any ordinance or budget action during the orientation; the session was informational only.