City of Winslow plans for the future
Officials hope to add police and fire employees in next fiscal year

Winslow City Administrator Jim Ferguso moderates the Winslow Strategic Planning Session March 7. Photo/Todd Roth

Winslow City Administrator Jim Ferguso moderates the Winslow Strategic Planning Session March 7. Photo/Todd Roth

Each year in March, the city of Winslow gathers city staff, council members, the mayor and interested citizens to set priorities for the next fiscal year. This year's meeting took place March 7, at the Hubbell Chamber of Commerce Building.

Department heads spent most of the day detailing specific challenges faced in the coming year and accomplishments of the last year. City Administrator Jim Ferguson moderated the session.

Highlights from the session include:

• The Public Housing Department faces budget cuts because of federal sequestration.

• The Police Department is about five officers short of the department's desired staffing needs.

• The Fire Department has only one full-time staff member but needs as many as three full-time employees.

• The City General Fund is not increasing as city officials expected.

• Pioneer Forest Products is still on track to build a plant sometime in 2013. There is some money in the capital budget for city infrastructure upgrades.

Based on council, staff and citizen comments, staff identified five priorities for the upcoming fiscal year:

• Add police and fire employees.

• Continue with utility improvements using capital funds.

• Give city employees a raise.

• Improve streets and sidewalks.

• Replace the Animal Shelter.

According to city officials many projects and staffing needs will compete for scarce city money during the next fiscal year.

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