The Centralia City Council approved a budget for the 2025 fiscal year that shows a $1.82 million surplus with total revenues up and expenditures down from 2024. City Manager Kory Smith presented the budget in a hearing prior to Tuesday night’s regular council meeting noting the ongoing water treatment plant and raw water line projects as current major spending items.
“Fiscal year 2025 will once again be centered around the continued progress of the largest project in the city’s history, the construction of the water treatment plant,” Smith said in his report to the council. “This project, as well as the raw water line project, will take up a lot of the city’s resources in 2025 and 2026. We are very excited about the project and look forward to its completion.”
Smith noted other items of interest in the budget include the new department of recreation, new park equipment for Fairview Park purchased through an OSLAD grant, on-request large item garbage pickup, and pension funding for the police and fire departments. Total revenues in the budget amount to $31,487,203, with expenditures at $29,667,296.
Centralia’s tax levy this year is for the same total as last year at $2,935,159. Smith says the city committed to not increasing the levy at the same time as it approved the half-cent sales tax in September.
In other action, the city approved an intergovernmental agreement with Central City in conjunction with a CDBG grant application being submitted by Central City for storm sewer and drainage improvements. Under the agreement, work in Centralia’s city limits done under the grant will be at no cost to Centralia.
The council also approved the sale of properties at 1106 North Maple and 1002 East Rexford, and approved holiday bonuses for city employees.
