With an estimated $1.1 million budget deficit looming for the City of Centralia over the next two years, the city’s finance committee recently recommended that the Centralia City Council consider approving several new sources of revenue at a meeting earlier this month.
As per state law, municipalities such as Centralia are required to submit balanced budgets.
While the city has slashed its own departments and combined various positions to balance the budget in past years, city staff say that can no longer be done without affecting critical city services, including the Centralia Police Department and the city’s parks and streets.
One of the proposed revenue sources is a new business and occupation (B&O) tax beginning next year.
Before holding a vote on whether or not to create the B&O tax, city staff are going to host an online question and answer session on Monday, Sept. 30, from 8:30 to 9:30 a.m. concerning the new tax.
The meeting will be held on Zoom. The link to the meeting along with links to information on the B&O tax and other revenue sources being considered are available on the city’s website at https://bit.ly/4d4rTzw.
Centralia Finance Director Bret Brodersen and interim Centralia City Manager and Parks Director Amy Buckler will be the hosts for the question and answer session.
Before that happens, the Centralia City Council will hold a workshop prior to its Tuesday, Sept. 24, meeting beginning at 5:30 p.m. to discuss the proposed revenue sources with city staff while the finance committee continues to draft Centralia’s 2025-2026 biennial budget.
While the public can attend the workshop, no public comments will be taken during the discussion. A public comment period will be available during the city council meeting following the workshop starting at 7 p.m.
Additionally, a public hearing will be held during the Centralia City Council’s Tuesday, Oct. 8 meeting, along with the first readings of any proposed ordinances relating to taxes.
To view Centralia’s previous budgets, visit the city’s website at https://www.cityofcentralia.com/201/Budget.
