The Airway Heights City Council made quick work of a short agenda at their Oct. 1 meeting, presenting a community excellence to a local business and authorizing new equipment purchases in preparation for the winter.
To kick off the meeting, the owners of La Presa Mexican Restaurant accepted the city’s fourth annual “Business of the Year” award, recognizing notable Airway Heights businesses. The winner is voted on by employees, customers and community members.
Following this, City Manager Albert Tripp presented a budget update on the preliminary 2019 budget. The budget laid out financial predictions and programs for the upcoming year. These are estimates, but give council an idea of what the city’s capital projects and investments will look like in the near future.
Council discussed the fact that under current projections, the Airway Heights Recreation Complex will experience a $1.5 million funding gap for operations. The city’s parks, recreation and community services director J.C. Kennedy is quickly filling open managerial positions for the complex and gathering staff in order to make decisions on how to close that funding gap, Tripp said.
According to city documents, council must hold a public hearing on revenue sources for the 2019 budget. That public hearing should take place on at the Oct. 15 meeting.
Only two actions items stood on the agenda for the week. Council members unanimously approved a short-term contract for clerk-treasurer assistance until the city position can be filled.
They also unanimously authorized the purchase of snowplow equipment for the city’s public works department. The current plow has reached the end of its useful life and needs to be replaced, Public Works Director Kevin Anderson said.
City documents state that the truck-mounted snowplow in question has been repaired and re-welded numerous times over the course of many years. This equipment replacement is unbudgeted and the total amount exceeds department purchase authorization, leading the department to seek Council approval for the purchase.
Shannen Talbot can be reached at shannen@cheneyfreepress.com.
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