City thinks ahead on budget planning

Recently lambasted for poor planning on the Parkplace project, the City of Kirkland should be given due credit for its foresight in other areas of planning. City planners had adjusted the 2011-2012 budget for passage of one or both of the liquor initiatives 1100 or 1105. The failure of both measures to privatize liquor sales in the state of Washington could have cost the city more than $1 million during the next biennium. But prudent planning puts the money back into the city budget. Kudos to the city for thinking ahead. We hope the city will keep this up as it continues to work on budget issues in the coming weeks. We would also suggest that the city use part of this $1 million to put garbage services back in the parks. The city slashed $600,000 overall from its Parks Department budget last year. This removed 50 garbage cans throughout 17 neighborhood parks, saving the city approximately $40,000.

November 10, 2010 5:50 pm

Recently lambasted for poor planning on the Parkplace project, the City of Kirkland should be given due credit for its foresight in other areas of planning.

City planners had adjusted the 2011-2012 budget for passage of one or both of the liquor initiatives 1100 or 1105. The failure of both measures to privatize liquor sales in the state of Washington could have cost the city more than $1 million during the next biennium.

But prudent planning puts the money back into the city budget.

Kudos to the city for thinking ahead. We hope the city will keep this up as it continues to work on budget issues in the coming weeks.

We would also suggest that the city use part of this $1 million to put garbage services back in the parks. The city slashed $600,000 overall from its Parks Department budget last year. This removed 50 garbage cans throughout 17 neighborhood parks, saving the city approximately $40,000.

We have heard a lot of feedback in the past several months regarding the negative impacts of no garbage service – including increased pet waste throughout many parks.

Kirkland Dog Off-Leash Group (KDOG) is planning to donate between 20,000-30,000 pet waste bags that will go in city parks. The city could put garbage cans back in the parks so the pet waste bags won’t go to waste.