2003/10/29 Council Minutes - Laserfiche WebLink

October 20,2003 Members of Council,City staff and citizens of Everett,today I present to you my proposed budget for 2004. This proposed budget represents a responsible and careful mix of expenses and fund balance targets.It is a lean,no-nonsense budget that focuses City resources onour established priorities and allows us to build upon our strong foundation Our local economy is slowly improving.Sales tax and non-Boeing B8O collections are showing signs of recovery. Our City finances are in excellent condition with a record high surplus forecasted at more than$23 million.Our City department directors have worked hard to manage their budgets and have real¢ed a cost savings of more than$1.8 million to contribute to balancing this 2004 budget. Our primary goal in preparing this financial plan was to minimize the impact of our region's challenging economic climate,while at the same time maintaining the high Level of public services that our citizens enjoy and sound fiscal management of our reserves. This proposed budget succeeds in meeting those goals as It moves the City forward,remains responsive to citizen needs and funds the reserve accounts necessary to safeguard our financial well being. Before we look ahead to the opportunities and challenges of 2004,I would like to take a few minutes to reflect on just some of the highlights of the past year. In May of this year,we had the distinct honor of welcoming home the sailors aboard the USS Abraham Lincoln and more recently the sailors aboard the USS Ingraham. I am proud of the unprecedented show of support from our community with regard to this historic event.In tudher support of Naval Station Everett,we have reconvened our committee on Base Realignment and Closure,and should our base appear on the closure list,we are already active. Public safety is a Agh priority In my administration. It is of utmost importance to me that the City of Everett be able to respond and protect J53