SEQUIM — Police Chief Robert Spinks, acting as the interim city manager, delivered difficult news to the Sequim City Council.
Sales tax is down about $400,000 from last year, and building permit and development fees have slid from $800,000 in 2007 to $355,000 this year.
And since Sequim’s population has swelled to 5,951, the state no longer sees it as deserving of grants for “small towns.”
So went Spinks’ speech, a PowerPoint presentation titled “2009 Budget Goal Setting and Strategy,” during Monday’s council study session.
It was a crash course in budgeting amid an ailing economy.
This session was originally set for Sept. 6, but it was rescheduled since some council members couldn’t make it on that Saturday.
As it turned out, three council members, Erik Erichsen, Ken Hays and Bill Huizinga, were absent Monday due to previous commitments.
That left Mayor Laura Dubois, former mayor Walt Schubert and council members Susan Lorenzen and Paul McHugh in Spinks’ audience.
