Getting a late start

Published 1:24 pm Thursday, October 2, 2008

NORTH BEND – Starting today, knock on the door of city offices and you may not find anyone there.

North Bend is reducing the number of hours its City Hall, Public Works building, Community Services building and police department are open as one way to address the budget crunch the city is facing.

Beginning Thursday, Aug. 1, those offices will be open to the public on Monday though Thursday from 8:30 a.m. to noon and 1-4:30 p.m. On Fridays, offices will be open only from 8:30 a.m. to noon.

The reduction in office hours is needed, in part, because the city is losing an accounting assistant/utilities staff member, and the position won’t be filled, said North Bend City Administrator Phil Messina.

“We’ll be absorbing those functions with other staff,” said City Clerk George Martinez.

But the move is also prompted by projected shortfalls in North Bend’s general fund, which pays for maintenance and operations costs as well as staff salaries, among other expenditures.

According to projections from City Treasurer Elena Montgomery, with expected development revenues, North Bend would break even this year and have a $15,843 surplus in its general fund after expenditures for 2003.

For the complete story, see this weeks Valley Record