Pullman council approves the city’s 2021-22 biennial budget

PULLMAN — The Pullman City Council on Tuesday approved the 2021-22 biennial budget after weeks of meetings and presentations.

There was little discussion from the council members Tuesday before they passed the budget, which can be found on Pullman’s city website at go.boarddocs.com/wa/pullman/Board.nsf/Public.

Total revenue for 2021 is estimated to be nearly $92.8 million and expenditures to be more than $101 million.

In 2022, the total revenue is expected to be $61.5 million and expenditures at approximately $64.7 million.

The major difference between the two years is the inclusion of the Pullman-Moscow Regional Airport fund in the 2021 budget.

According to city council meeting documents, the airport board is providing relief to the city and other regional partners from paying their yearly intergovernmental agreements and using proceeds from the Federal Cares Act Grant to fulfill those revenues.

The airport’s revenue is estimated to come in at more than $32 million for 2021.

The airport board will not adopt the 2022 budget until later in 2021.

During the past several weeks, several issues were brought to the city council’s attention that might affect the budget in the future.

For example, two Pullman residents expressed a desire for the city to pursue expanding the number of pickleball courts with lighting.

The city is also planning to create a committee of city council members to negotiate changes to the existing contract with the Pullman Chamber of Commerce to perform services related to tourism and promotion.

Additionally, the city is working to fill open law enforcement positions.

Also on Tuesday, the council approved a partnership with Washington State University to pursue a $391,132 grant from the Economic Development Administration to grow business startups in Pullman.

Pullman Economic Development Manager Jennifer Hackman said the project would start July 2021 if WSU and Pullman receive the grant.

The grant requires a 20 percent match of funding that would be split by WSU and Pullman.

It would help fund a network of local people who can be angel investors for local businesses. It would also help create a group of people who can mentor WSU faculty and graduate students looking to be entrepreneurs.

Al Sorensen was the only council member who voted against the grant after questioning how it will specifically benefit the city.

Whitman County Commissioner Art Swannack attended the meeting to inform the council of state funds available to provide rent assistance to victims of the fire that swept through Malden and Pine City on Labor Day.

Swannack said there are approximately 25 residents who have been forced to live in RVs after losing their homes to the blaze. He said this poses a problem during the cold winter months.

The $100,000 in state funds are being managed by the Community Action Center in Pullman and would be available to low-income residents to help them find housing in rentals and hotels.

The council gave Swannack and the CAC permission to use the funds.

Kuipers can be reached at akuipers@dnews.com.