The Pullman City Council held a special meeting Tuesday evening to kick off week one of budget workshops with a running start.

Councilors did not make any decisions on items discussed, but city officials presented budget requests to Mayor Glenn Johnson’s proposed 2023-24 biennial budget. The council will meet next week for the final budget workshop before approving and adopting the budget later this year.

The mayor’s proposed budget is a projection of costs over the next two years, reflecting input from department managers and recommendations from City Administrator Mike Urban. Stated in the budget, the council estimates the general fund revenue at $27,831,168 and the operational expenditure to be $28,712,232 in 2023. For 2024, the estimated revenue is $25,853,501 and operational expenditures to be $28,782,043.

Below are some highlights from the 2023-24 budget draft. The full budget report can be found at bit.ly/3zCcFRv.

Jake Opgenorth, chief of police at the Pullman Police Department, requested $10,264,467, or a 22.4% increase, for the 2023 budget and $9,764,062, or a 4.9% decrease, in the 2024 budget. Salaries and wages take up 67% of the law enforcement’s 2023 budget to support 33 commissioned officers, 11 support personnel and three code enforcement officers.

Operating expenses make up 15% of the law enforcement’s 2023 budget, according to Opgenorth. The department plans to provide around $461,000 in funding for the Whitman County Court and Jail, $58,000 for the Whitman County Humane Society and $279,000 for Whitcom 9-1-1.

Capital expenditures are estimated to be 9% of the budget, Opgenorth said. The biggest item in these expenditures is replacing the HVAC system, costing around $564,080. Other expenditures include $13,200 in physical training equipment, $13,000 in training munitions equipment, $37,000 in SWAT night vision and $88,000 in mobile vehicle radio replacements. The department is also requesting three vehicles to be added to their fleet, including $88,000 for a mobile vehicle replacement, $77,000 for a code enforcement vehicle and $55,000 for a detective vehicle.

Mike Heston, fire chief at the Pullman Fire Department, estimates a total of $9,287,961, or a 4.3% increase, in the 2023 budget and $9,181,475, or a 1.1% decrease, in the 2024 budget. The department reported an increase of $299,727 in salaries and wages in 2023 by hiring three new firefighters, and a $38,638 increase in 2024 hiring three more firefighters, which are reimbursed 100% by a FEMA grant.

Supplies are estimated to increase $25,876 in 2023 and $6,070 in 2024 because of the cost of inflation and supply chain demands. Minor equipment funding is estimated to increase $53,253 in 2023 to replace items postponed in the 2022 COVID-19 budget reductions and to decrease $17,839 in 2024. Other operational expenditures include a $297,711 increase for 2023 to replace operating programs postponed in the 2022 COVID-19 budget reductions. Expenses in 2023 are set to increase $64,129 because of mandatory fire, medical and prevention training.

Kurt Dahmen, director of Parks and Facilities, requested $2,144,936, or a 17.2% increase, in the 2023 budget and $1,518,741, or a 29.2% decrease in the 2024 budget. Salaries and wages are expected to increase $86,000 in 2023 by hiring a new Parks and Facilities maintenance position and transferring $35,000 from the Community Improvement budget. Capital expenditures are projected to total $676,620.

Dan Owens, director of the Neill Public Library, projects a 0.3% increase, or $1,916,180, in 2023’s budget and an increase of 4.1%, or $1,995,493, in the 2024 budget. Owens attributed the library’s 2023 budget increase to a 4% decrease in salaries and wages by hiring a new library services director with low salary costs, and a staffing revision plan eliminating a large number of casual staffing hours to instead make a small increase in permanent staffing. The library’s 2024 budget is expected to increase based on historical averages.

Urban presented the legislative budget, representing the City Council, to be estimated at $374,026, or a 0.6% increase, in 2023 and $363,673, or a $2.8% decrease, in 2024. Salaries and wages have remained unchanged since 2018, according to Urban. The decrease in the legislative’s 2024 budget is attributed to operating expenditures, as well as interfund reductions.

The executive budget, reflecting the mayor, is expected to be $311,204, or a 20.7% decrease, in 2023 and $287,757, or a 7.5% decrease, in 2024, according to Urban. These decreases are attributed to the Administrative Specialist position being frozen beginning in the third quarter of 2023.

Other updates in the 2023-24 budget proposal include:

Communications, $159,639, or a 49.1% increase, in 2023 and $127,895, or a 19.9% decrease, in 2024.

Finance and the city clerk, $1,029,167, or a 37.7% decrease, in 2023 and $1,076,424, or a 4.6% increase, in 2024.

Human resources, $268,841, or a 89.9% increase, in 2023 and 273,920, or a 1.9% increase, in 2024.

Information Technology, $1,312,014, or a 6.5% decrease, in 2023 and $1,396,435, or a 6.4% increase, in 2024.

Civic Improvement Fund, $186,515 in 2023 and $2,204,317 in 2024. The difference in the 2024 budget is reflected by external grants received.

Bond Funds: Public Works and Finance, $2,885,342, or an 18.8% decrease, in 2023 and $1.043,342, or a 63.8% decrease, in 2024.

Intergovernmental Fund: Metropolitan Parks District, $608,050 in 2023 and $30,272, or a 95% decrease, in 2024.

Firefighters Relief and Pension Fund, $26,400 for both 2023 and 2024.

City attorney, $114,000 for both 2023 and 2024.

Pearce can be reached at epearce@dnews.com or on Twitter @Emily_A_Pearce.