Title
Preliminary 2024 Utility Operating Budget Drivers and Trends
Recommended Action/UAC Deliverable:
Briefing only. No action requested.
Issue:
Review 2023 preliminary operating budgets drivers
Staff Contact:
Gary Franks, Public Works Waste ReSources Director, 360.753.8780
Jesse Barham, Public Works Water Resources Director, 360.753.8164
Mike Vessey, Public Works Drinking Water Director, 360.753.8318
Presenters:
Same as above
Background and Analysis:
The Utility Advisory Committee (UAC) reviews City utility finances, rates, and general facilities charges annually. In August, staff will brief the UAC on the preliminary 2024 operating budget key drivers for the Drinking Water, Wastewater, Storm and Surface Water, and Waste ReSources utilities. Draft operating budgets will not be complete until August 2 at the earliest. Greater detail will be presented at the meeting, but at this time, key drivers for the utilities operating budgets include:
* Inflationary costs for materials and services (CPI was 3.0% June 2022-June 2023)
* Cost of living adjustments of between 4.0 and 5.5 percent
The following critical needs have been requested to be added to the 2024 budgets:
* A request for a Program Specialist to support pollution source control inspections in Storm and Surface Water
City Utilities are expected to provide uninterrupted public health services for our community. Our responsibilities include ensuring that drinking water is healthy, sewer infrastructure safely conveys wastewater to the LOTT treatment facility, solid waste is managed for reuse or disposal, flooding is minimized, and our urban natural resources are protected. As municipal utilities meeting the needs of our community while maintaining and upgrading our increasingly aging infrastructure is the core of our mission. Utility staff focus on effectiveness and efficiency in the delivery of these services.
The City Utilities are municipal enterprise funds. They are financially self-supporting wi...
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