Bellevue budget increases 3.7 percent

The Bellevue City Council this week made budget adjustments that provide more money for police dispatchers, building inspectors and environmental stewardship.

The council is in the middle of a two-year budget but typically makes changes halfway through to account for new tax revenue or changes in city policy.

The council on Monday night increased the 2007-08 budget by about $37 million, from $1.001 billion to $1.038 billion. The increase reflects money transfers, higher labor costs and several million dollars from the city's building boom, including new tax revenue and development fees.

Among the council's changes:

• $100,000 to add a police dispatcher and make three temporary dispatchers permanent. King County helps fund the city's dispatch center, but requires that 90 percent of calls be answered within 10 seconds. The city is not meeting the standard on a regular basis, and using overtime hasn't worked, so the city is adding staff instead, according to city documents.

• $900,000 to help create a regional emergency-dispatch center, the Northeast King County Regional Public Safety Communications Initiative.

• About $1.3 million for 13 new positions in development services to help inspect and review construction projects.

• $200,000 for the city's environmental-stewardship initiative, including a tree-planting program and a review of the city's greenhouse-gas-emission levels.

Ashley Bach: 206-464-2567 or abach@seattletimes.com