Of course, we know construction in our downtown, Overlake and Marymoor village is extremely active. The city taxes this construction and revenues are significant as seen below. The city classifies this a "one-time money" since growth will eventually normalize and this "bonus" revenue can't be relied on forever.
The city clerk accounts for this one-time construction money, as follows:
2018 $11,584,950
2019 $9,325,885
2020 $11,066,344
2021 $16,814,029
2022 $17,756,725
- My question: Besides the new Senior & Community Center where has this money been going?
Public Records Officer response: One-time dollars are only used to fund one-time programs, such as in 2023-2024 budget, these dollars are being used but limited to fund irrigation for community and neighborhood parks, sports field design and Police emergency response.
It seems the clerk's response is somewhat confusing and appears to contradict the Mayor's statement as found in her Council Salary Commission letter. Excerpt:
"The 2023-2024 budget creation relied on one-time money to restore a small portion of the 17.63 full-time equivalent employees laid off, and programs and services sharply reduced during the pandemic years. City revenues are slowly recovering, but are not up to pre-pandemic levels. In addition, all economic indicators point to a recession on the horizon." -- Mayor Birney. 5/26/23
Should, or shouldn't these lay-offs be funded through the General Fund rather than one-time construction money?
-- Bob Yoder, 6/21/2023 opinion
Yet they came to property owners with hands out to fund a primary mission of the city, public safety, and a fundamental responsibility of any government…tsk, tsk, tsk 😡
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