City Of Bainbridge Island

New financial reality at city - Bainbridge Island Review

The leaders of the city’s Executive Department have a clear message: if the council and the community want to start checking off projects from their shopping list of dreams, then it will need to develop a clear strategic plan and a corresponding revenue forecast to do so.

Thanks to the hard decisions made by council during the last several budget cycles, city Interim City Manager Brenda Bauer believes the city can function within today’s revenue realities. But that doesn’t solve the cash shortage for all of the other things the council or community has repeatedly said it is not providing its citizens.

“When you have a shopping list and you have revenue, then you have to designate what collectively you can’t live without – and then try and solve for the gap,” said Morgan Smith, deputy city manager.

“What we are hearing, from council and the community is that the city is not getting everything done.”

Whether it’s roads deteriorating or community organizations that have lost their funding, there are plenty of projects competing for the scarce or even non-existent city dollars that were abundant before the economy crashed.

With the city’s largest revenue streams remaining relatively flat since the economic crisis, a new “normal” has been created for what the city can afford. Bauer and Smith are pushing for a strategic plan that encompasses revenue realities with a list of priorities and a strategy to close the gap between the two.

Smith and Bauer, along with Chris Wierzbicki, project manager for the Winslow Way project, presented their “state of the city” report at the chamber’s luncheon on Wednesday at Wing Point Country Club. Smith later gave a presentation on the city’s financial capacity to council members.

“Part of this goal is to make sure everyone is on the same page about the truth of the big picture,” said Smith. “The reality of our recent revenue experience is that our four biggest revenue sources have remained relatively stable over the last several years.”

Balancing the see-saw of projects, needs and available revenue is the reality that the city will continue to face. Leading the strategic initiative is Smith, who brings the experience of forecasting $600 million worth of revenue for the City of Atlanta to Bainbridge where she is now serving as the city’s chief of strategic planning.

Adding revenue, she cautions, is limited since a small city has to maneuver around a tight regulatory environment that puts limits on revenue boosters such as raising taxes. With 85 percent, or $13 million of the city’s $15 million budget coming from four categories of taxes – sales, property, utility and business – Smith said it’s the greatest predictor of fiscal outcome and has remained relatively stable in the last three years.

City of Bainbridge Island comprehensive plan, staff review

City of Bainbridge Island zoning ordinance

Congressional Record, V. 148, Pt. 17, November 15, 2002 to December 16, 2002

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