MATTAWA — Among several money-related items on the Mattawa City Council agenda on Dec. 17, the largest was an amendment to the 2020 budget. It was the second amendment to the 2020 budget.

Because of the fire at the wastewater treatment facility this year, the budget for the sewer fund needed adjustments to make the budget balance.

Also, with COVID-19 funds and restrictions, some changes were needed to account for additional funds received and surcharges that could not be collected.

One major change was shifting the source of funds for the purchase of a pickup for the Public Works Department from the sewer fund to the water fund.

“Because of the fire, we were cutting it close,” said Juan Ledezma, Mattawa’s Public Works director. “To avoid that, we’re pulling it out of the water fund. It is used for both utility types.”

The council also approved two purchases for the Mattawa Police Department: one for radios and one for body cameras. Mattawa Police Chief Joe Harris said the purchase of five radios had been built into the 2020 budget. The radios the department currently uses are no longer manufactured and neither are replacement parts.

“There are plenty of funds to purchase them now,” Harris said. “We have to buy them sometime. We can buy them now at today’s prices or kick the can down the road.”

With the purchase of five body cameras, the five cameras that the department has will be upgraded for free. The cameras are being purchased from the same company the Grant County Prosecutor’s Office uses. Using the same system makes it easier to share information between the two offices.

During the meeting, the council approved switching virtual meeting platforms. The city of Mattawa has been using Go To Meeting for all of its virtual meetings. Mayor Maggie Celaya asked the council to switch to Zoom and take advantage of a lower pricing structure. The switch will save the city approximately $63 per license per year.

The 2021 budget was a topic of discussion. The council did not vote on a final budget, but some parts of the 2021 budget were brought up for council members’ input.

The council voted to give all city employees a 1.5% cost-of-living pay increase. The cost-of-living increase is separate from any raises the city’s union employees may receive. Union employees are in the clerk’s office and Public Works Department, with the exception of the city clerk and Public Works director. The police department is not unionized. While police department personnel will get cost-of-living increases, it is unclear whether they will get a raise in 2021.

During the budget discussion, the council directed the city’s department heads to cut spending by 5% in each department to save for future needs. One such need is recoating the inside of the city’s water reservoir, which is estimated to cost $1.3 million.

Council member Tony Acosta, who is on the 2021 budget committee, said, “We felt as a committee that a percentage was a little bit more fair across the board.”

Acosta also mentioned the budget committee was reviewing the city’s take-home car policy for police officers.

“They use city vehicles to and from work,” Acosta said. “We’ve had discussions with Chief (Harris). He expects that to disappear when we are fully staffed. We need to have the discussion. Is it a service that we need to continue?”

The council also expressed interest in discussing the amount of money it gave to support the Grant County Health District. While the council voted to give the health district $500 in 2021, members said further discussion on the subject is needed.