Colfax seeks comment on 2017 budget

The City of Colfax has been seeking comments from residents on the upcoming 2017 budget process, and a survey has been posted online since July.

“Not a lot of people have responded, and the survey closes soon, so we're encouraging people to fill it out,” City Administrator Michael Rizzitiello said.

Rizzitiello said the survey is a good way for citizens to provide feedback to the city and have an opportunity to participate.

“It helps because, as you're crafting a budget, it gives an indication of what's important to the community,” he said. “And it's another venue to get information to the public and for those who can't attend public workshops because of work.”

The survey asks several questions, including what the mission statement of the city should be, what goals should be considered in the budget, what capital improvement projects should be undertaken as a priority in 2017, quality of life in Colfax and quality of the utilization of lodging tax dollars in 2016.

Residents can participate anonymously.

In the priority level section, citizens are asked to rank projects including the replacement of the Glenwood water line, maintenance of the city pool, street maintenance, police and fire protection, obtaining and installing new playground equipment for parks, maintenance of city parks, building a replacement outdoor or indoor swimming facility, execution of the Lake Street Greenway project, rebuilding Oak and Cedar streets, improving North Palouse River Road from McDonald Park to Red Tail Ridge, maintenance and repairs for water quality and wastewater utility projects, reconfiguring the intersection of Highways 195 and 26, establishing an RV park and rehabbing Schmuck Park.

For service level, the city asks citizens to rank police patrol, traffic enforcement, crime investigation, code enforcement and school resource assistance services; fire control and ambulance services; parks athletic facility maintenance and recreation progression services; public works signage and striping, streetlights, street rehabilitation, alley maintenance, street sweeping, right of way maintenance, water system operation and maintenance, wastewater operation and maintenance and stormwater operation and maintenance services, and administration services including city planning, economic development, historic preservation, utility billing, web services and building inspection.

The survey also asks demographic questions relating to place of residence or business, age and gender.

“Please participate in the survey,” said Rizzitiello. “It's the way to get your voice in.”

The results of the survey will be analyzed in October. City department heads are already working on their budget proposals for next year.

Public workshops will be next month, and a draft budget will be released to the public in November.

The 2017 budget will be adopted at the first or second city council meeting in December, Rizzitiello said.

The budget survey is available online through the City of Colfax Facebook page or at the Colfax Library.