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Tenino council discusses pay-scale cleanup, electronic payments, and aging wastewater equipment
Summary
During its Sept. 9 meeting Tenino council members discussed internal pay-scale revisions, a planned vendor demo for Express Pay (electronic billing via Springbrook), concerns about who pays credit-card fees, and aging wastewater-treatment equipment with an estimated replacement near $1 million and a pending Ecology emergency grant application.
At the Sept. 9 work session and meeting, councilmembers focused discussion on internal budget housekeeping and operational choices that could affect costs and staff time.
Mayor (name not stated) said the city is working to clean up a messy pay-scale structure with inconsistent step percentages and will meet with shop employees to gather input before finalizing changes. Clerk/Treasurer staff said department heads are preparing budgets and expected to deliver a draft for 2026 soon.
On payments, the council scheduled a meeting with Express Pay (which integrates with Springbrook) to evaluate electronic billing and collection options. Councilmembers expressed three main concerns: transparency on per-transaction fees, whether fees are absorbed by vendors or passed to customers, and how the city would handle chargebacks. Council asked staff to obtain a precise fee schedule and clarify responsibilities before moving forward.
Operational cost-savings discussed included ending an expensive postage meter contract (roughly $3,000/year) and exploring outsourcing payroll or digitizing paper records; council acknowledged outsourcing may not save money for a small jurisdiction but will be investigated.
Public works matters included an update that ball-field outfield work will likely wait until drier weather and that wastewater-treatment plant screens and an auger are near the end of their service life. A replacement cost around $1,000,000 was cited and the city recently applied for an Ecology emergency grant to cover urgent work. Staff noted potential savings if an in-house operator obtains a Wastewater Treatment Level 3 certification and reduces contracted service costs currently costing about $5,500 per month.
Council asked staff to research fee structures for Express Pay, confirm grant timelines for wastewater work and continue pay-scale outreach to affected employees.
