Astoria Budget Committee Meeting - April 22, 2026 (Note: Agenda/Transcript Date April 21)
Astoria Budget Committee Meeting - April 22, 2026 (Note: Agenda/Transcript Date April 21)
Note on Date Discrepancy: The meeting agenda and transcript identify the meeting date as Tuesday, April 21, 2026. However, the user instructions specified the meeting date as April 22, 2026, which is used in the title and summary. The committee adjourned to a continuation meeting on April 22, 2026 at 6:15 PM.
The Astoria Budget Committee met to review and discuss the proposed Fiscal Year 2026-2027 budget for the City of Astoria and its two urban renewal districts, Astor East and Astor West. The meeting included a presentation from City Manager Spence, detailed department reviews, a public hearing with no public testimony, and several votes on tentative budget approvals.
Discussion Items
- Budget Schedule Confirmation: The committee approved an amendment to the budget schedule, moving the Public Works Improvement Fund and Public Works Capital Reserve Fund after the Public Works Fund discussion for logical flow.
- Approval of Minutes: Minutes from the February 9, 2026 meeting were approved with a correction noting that budget committee member Johnson was present and absent in the same roll call and that her vote should be recorded as a non-vote.
- City Manager's Budget Message: City Manager Spence presented the FY 2026-2027 budget, totaling approximately $73 million, a decrease of nearly $10 million from the prior year due to completion of major capital projects (library, Pipeline Road, 16th Street Distribution). Key cost drivers included a 0% PERS increase (two-year cycle), 2.9% CPI inflation, 3-6% wage increases, 13% medical cost increase ($146,000), and 4.6% liability insurance increase ($26,000).
- Astor East and Astor West Urban Renewal Districts: The City Manager outlined the two districts. Astor East is expected to generate $345,000 in new revenue this year, with $3.5 million available. Planned projects include a $350,000-$500,000 roof replacement at the Astoria Aquatic Center. Astor West has about $5.5 million available but no new tax revenue (max indebtedness reached). No specific projects were identified, but potential partnerships with the port and waterline looping were mentioned.
- City Budget Presentation: The City Manager reviewed the general fund (about $8.2 million property tax, 60% of revenue), special revenue funds (parks, emergency communications, street fund), enterprise funds (public works, cemeteries, 17th Street Dock), and fiduciary funds (promote Astoria). Property tax growth is limited to 3% absent new taxable development; $300 million in recent private construction was mostly nonprofit (non-taxable). The general fund contingency is about 5.5 months of operations.
- Department Budget Presentations: Department heads presented their budgets:
- City Council: 2.9% salary increase, travel adjustments.
- City Manager: Increased conference attendance.
- Human Resources: 4.4% increase, consolidated recruitment, $10,000 placeholder for executive recruitment, $5,000 for general fund recruitment. Turnover dropped from 18.7% in 2025 to a lower rate in 2026.
- Municipal Court: Minimal changes; judge's contract unchanged for 20 years.
- Finance: 11% increase due to converting a half-time clerical position to full-time accounting clerk and one-year overlap of Springbrook/Cassell financial software ($120,000, dropping to $50,000 next year).
- Community Development: 2% decrease; $50,000 for a contract engineer to assist with permitting; a limited-term CDD technician (0.5 FTE) for records and code compliance.
- Fire Department: 4% increase ($3.3 million), 14.1 FTE (12.5 personnel). $120,000 for a breathing air system replacement (with potential 90% grant). Overtime increase due to reclassification of FLSA and holiday overtime as overtime.
- Police Department: 5.41% increase ($4.5 million), 95% personnel. 16,468 calls for service (up 0.2%), 98 DUII arrests (36% increase), 856 parking tickets (75% increase). Capital requests: two patrol vehicles (one unmarked SUV), flooring for public safety building.
- Library: Decreased materials budget (one-time opening day collection expense completed). Technology increase for self-check machine replacement. New schedule: Tuesday-Saturday, later hours.
- Capital Improvement Fund (102): Includes $300,000 for Cedar Creek culvert/bridge project, $188,000 for police vehicles and flooring, $120,000 for fire breathing air system, $50,000 for City Hall generator switch (Spire grant).
- Building Inspection Fund: 8% increase in beginning balance, expenditures down. Projects nearing completion: Owens Adair, Maritime Museum, Columbia Behavioral Health. Anticipated: hospital remodel, critical care clinic, affordable housing.
- Parks Operations: $193,000 expenditure increase, primarily due to capital items and increased transfer to general fund. 3% increase in aquatic center visits. Capital: new park maintenance truck, $20,000 for play equipment grants, aquatic center equipment upgrades.
- Clatsop CASA Grant Omission: The City Manager acknowledged that Clatsop CASA's $10,000 grant application was received on time but inadvertently omitted from the community service organization grants subcommittee. The committee discussed funding options and voted to provide $8,000 from the general fund contingency.
- Utility Rate Discussion: The City Manager recommended a 4% utility rate increase to maintain services and debt obligations. The CSO surcharge fund (270) pays for past and future combined sewer overflow projects. The city has an extended deadline (2044) for CSO compliance, with $18-28 million in remaining work.
Key Outcomes
- Motion to Amend Budget Schedule: Passed (unanimous) to move Public Works Improvement Fund and Public Works Capital Reserve Fund after Public Works Fund.
- Motion to Approve Minutes: Passed (unanimous) as amended.
- Motion to Tentatively Approve Astor East and Astor West Urban Renewal District Budgets: Passed (unanimous) as a combined motion.
- Motion to Tentatively Approve General Fund 001: Passed (unanimous) after public hearing.
- Motion to Tentatively Approve Capital Improvement Fund (102), Building Inspection Fund (128), and Parks Operations Fund (158): Passed (unanimous) after public hearing.
- Motion to Fund Clatsop CASA $8,000 from General Fund Contingency: Passed (unanimous) after discussion.
- Motion to Adjourn to Continuation Meeting: Passed (unanimous) to reconvene on Wednesday, April 22, 2026 at 6:15 PM.
Meeting Transcript
Okay, and it appears to be six o'clock. So I will uh call in to session this uh Tuesday, April 21st, 2026 uh budget committee meeting of the city of Astoria. Um if we could have a roll call. Yes. So uh Chair Hardy uh present or sorry, well vice chair party. Uh I will note that Chair Morland is out, Chair. I'm sorry, committee member Romill. Here committee Merrill Johnson, budget committee member Rose Present, budget committee member Sean Fitzpatrick, yeah. Uh budget committee member Elizabeth Adams budget committee member Andrew Davis here, budget committee member Joshua Conklin here and budget committee mayor Andrew Mazzarella Andrew Andrea Andrea So at this time I would uh turn to the city manager for uh introduction and discussion of the budget schedule as outlined in the agenda um and hopefully confirmation of these uh committee meetings get so first we need to confirm the budget meeting schedule. Um historically we have used this sheet that's in front of you and went through the various different funds. Um because they've not changed, we'll just do a verbal report where we typically go page by page. I do want to know last year we ran into this. I think with the committee would prefer this. When we went to special funds, we talked about public works improvement fund and public works capital reserve fund before we talked about couple uh public works, and it's kind of a natural order makes sense to talk about public works first, assess the body, then those are the two funds that support that. So it's kind of a little out of order because we're going from special funds to enterprise fund, but logically, I think that makes more sense. So if you're okay, um if you want to make that amendment, we would move public works improvement fund and public works capital reserve fund after public works fund under enterprise fund. So it makes sense. It does uh anything further on on that schedule or so. If we can get a motion, a second and approve that order, and then we'll go on to approval of minutes, and then once that has been done, we'll move to 3C and go through the formal presentation. Chair. I I'm happy to make a motion if you'd like. Uh yes, please uh chair. I I would move that we uh amend the budget schedule for today, or for the for the budget schedule, we amend uh to move public works improvement fund and public works capital capital reserve fund to uh discussion following public works fund and enterprise. Okay, we have a motion by committee member Davis, second committee, second second from committee member Renewal. Uh all those in favor. Any further discussion? Hearing none, all those in favor. Aye, aye. Uh any opposed? Very good. That motion carries. So then item three B approval of amendments. Okay. Um discussion or comments on approval of the minutes. I noticed one tiny thing, and it's not of any great significance, but the the minutes from the Monday, February 9th meeting, what we talked about council compensation. Um, item two roll call, it shows that the committee member Johnson was present and also that she was absent. Absolutely. Um, and then a little bit further on when there was a vote. Um it shows as uh committee member Johnson voting in favor and no votes against, but I think that should probably replace a non-vote. Correct. Any other members of the committee have any uh changes or alterations in the minutes? Okay, we'd entertain a motion to approve the combined minutes as presented in the packet and as amended by my comments. Make a motion. We have a motion from committee member Adams. Uh second. I move that we accept the minutes with the amendments. Uh from budget committee chair Hardy as presented. Second. Okay. We have a second from committee member Davis.
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