Development News for Sunnyside, Washington

City Finance Director Presents Budget Updates, Addresses Reconciliation Issues, and Proposes Budget Amendments

Monica Hoffsteader, the finance director, presented an update on the city's financial status, highlighting issues with the 2024 annual report due to data migration problems. She detailed discrepancies between cash and journal entry amounts, particularly concerning revenue, and explained her process of reconciling these by trusting the cash side when possible. A significant amount of $83,000 in revenue could not be allocated to specific funds due to incorrect journal entries and was placed in the contingency fund as a holder. Hoffsteader recommended further investigation or council decision on how to handle these unallocated funds and emphasized the need for a policy for the contingency fund, as it has been previously spent without council knowledge. The presentation also covered the 2025 reconciliations, noting the addition of a new merchant account to better reflect financial flows and the ongoing efforts to resolve past accounting issues. Discussions also touched upon the ARPA fund reporting, emphasizing the need to spend and account for funds within the six-month deadline to avoid repayment. Additionally, proposed budget amendments for 2027 were discussed, including adjustments for non-represented employee wages to align with union contracts and policies, the creation of an IT director role, the reopening of the HR manager role, and the addition of a benefits specialist. Fire department needs for increased professional services and capital expenses, as well as public works' urgent need for new sewer pumps and capital items for water infrastructure, were also discussed.

Water Pressure Issues Persist; Sewer Department Requests Funds for Pump Replacements and HVAC Repair

Hector Mahia provided an update on the city's water pressure issues, explaining that the water tower at Grand View is at 26 feet, below the normal 30 feet. This is due to draining both tanks, which is taking time to refill. Alarms on the outdated SCADA system were found to be turned off, preventing notifications of well status. Manual adjustments are being made to wells, and Hugo and his team are working to bring all wells online. The water department expects normal pressure by the following morning and will send an email update. He also addressed the sewer department's urgent need for two new sewer pumps, with one at the Hope station costing $21,343 and another at the plant costing $16,322. These are considered vital to prevent wastewater issues, and council was asked for direction on purchase authorization. Additionally, the sewer department's HVAC system has been broken for four years, with quotes for replacement ranging from $34,204 to $96,215, and portable AC units were suggested as a temporary solution.