The Yakima City Council approved the City’s 2021 budget during its regular meeting tonight, Tuesday, December 1st.
The 2021 budget calls for $249,825,279 in total expenditures, a decrease of about $2.5 million from the City of Yakima’s 2020 year-end estimated expenditures.
The 2021 budget achieves the following:
- Maintains the City’s General Fund reserves with a $34,190 increase for 2021
- Develops 5-year capital budgets for all Capital Funds.
- Continues service delivery in all City departments and divisions through the COVID-19 emergency.
“Budget forecasts for 2021 were made while the COVID-19 emergency was still having a profound impact on the local economy and the City’s delivery of services,” said Finance and Budget Director Steve Groom. “Sales tax forecast, while apparently having recovered during 2020, still has some uncertainty so we’re being cautious. Lodging taxes are forecast to be impacted through the entirety of the 2021 budget. Other revenues have similar, but lesser, impacts to the ability to forecast.”
Final approval of the 2021 budget followed two public hearings held in November. Prior to that, the Council held four 2021 budget study sessions during October.
Groom noted that budgets, including the one approved tonight for 2021, are subject to course corrections throughout the year. “Grants, for example, are not budgeted if approval has not been confirmed,” he said. “As we do every year, staff will bring first quarter, and subsequent quarter, amendments for changes as they become known.”
Click https://yakima.novusagenda.com/agendapublic/CoverSheet.aspx?ItemID=7398&MeetingID=862 for a packet of 2021 budget documents presented to the City Council tonight.
Click Budget Documents | Finance (yakimawa.gov) to see City of Yakima budgets for this and previous years, dating back to 2011.