The Dalles City Council met last night to review their annual budget. Mayor Richard Mays was not present at the meeting, and Councilor Timothy McGlothlin was the acting Chair throughout the proceedings.
City Manage Mathew Kleebes opened with a message to the city on the methods, the importance, and the mission of creating the City’s budget, noting that the budget was guided by the Vision Action Plan completed in 2023 and the newly produced Council Goal Setting Document, which was created with consulting from SSW Consulting.
The budget is designed to ensure livability, fiscal stability, housing supply, and long-term infrastructure planning, according to the document.
Finance Director Angie Wilson took turns reviewing sections of the 264-page proposed budget for fiscal year 2024-25, noting the current 16,417 residents in The Dalles are served by about 115 full-time employees, with an annual budget of about $16.5 million dollars, which is down almost two-and-a-half million dollars from last year.
Following over three hours of line-by-line review and budget reports for multiple department heads, the budget meeting was adjourned and set to continue again tonight (Tuesday, May 14th) at 5:30pm at City Hall.
Citizens can attend the budget meeting in person or online, and the proposed budget is available for review at the City’s website, TheDalles.org.