Votes are Already Paying Off

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Story Published: Nov 10, 2009 at 12:11 AM PDT

By Stacy Lilienthal

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Grandview --- Your votes from less than a week ago are already affecting area cities. In Grandview, councilors had a pleasant surprise looking at the budget: no cuts.

"I know I'm guaranteed to at least be able to run an efficient department this year. In fact, the next couple of years," Grandview Chief of Police, David Charvet smiled. It's the result of people in Yakima county passing the 3/10th cent sales tax to help fight criminals. "For a community our size, it provides us with at least one officer. And if that had not passed, then we would have had to make that up in other budget areas," Grandview Mayor, Norm Childress said. The tax will pay for 2 1/2 officers in Grandview, including one in the school.

But the police department isn't the only department benefiting from the tax. Now the city doesn't have to find other ways to pay for the officers. "I view a status quo budget with no cuts as a positive," Childress announced to the council. The only thing close to a cut in the Grandview budget is a full-time parks maintenance job that will be split into two seasonal jobs after a worker retires this year. They say that change was decided so they can have more people to work in the summer months, not just to save cash.

"I felt confident it would pass," Charvet told Action News, "I think people are fed up with crime." And at least in Grandview, that tax is already saving more than voters may have anticipated. Not only was there no cuts listed so far, the Grandview budget doesn't have anything new either. But councilors plan to ask department heads to start putting together a wish list now so the city can slowly fund projects over the next few years.

Next Monday at 7:00 there will be a public hearing in the city hall on the budget.

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