LANGLEY — City officials need to do a better job of spelling out the priorities of city hall in these cash-strapped times, Langley residents told the city council at its first hearing on the 2011 budget.

Langley released its preliminary budget on Oct. 28, and the $4.5 million spending plan includes frozen wages for city workers, the elimination of a full-time public works employee and staffing cuts in the treasurer’s department that city officials have yet to define.

Earlier this week, at the first of two hearings on the budget, residents said city officials need to better explain how next year’s spending plan would translate into core services.

“Make it more of a budget that explains, through the numbers, what the priorities for the city are, and what you consider the core services to be, and where the city is headed in the future,” Barbara Seitle told the council.

Seitle was just one in a roomful of people who wanted details, details, details on the 2011 budget. The scrutiny of next year’s plan follows months of controversy regarding the spending practices at city hall, from the ongoing controversy over the mayor’s pay to Langley’s ever-increasing attorney bills, and, most recently, the cost of creating a public park-and-ride lot next to the Langley CMA Church.

This week, residents raised new topics. Many wanted answers on the city’s use of its tourism fund, which is budgeted for $127,716 in 2011.

One item of interest: The city wants to spend $4,000 on the public restrooms behind the chamber of commerce office next year, a twice-a-day cleaning effort by public works employees that cost more than $17,000 last year.

Others also questioned a new $10,000 item for tree trimming that was added to the tourism fund.

City officials admitted they had questions about that expenditure, as well.

City Councilwoman Fran Abel said she had asked the experts at the Municipal Research and Services Center whether it’s appropriate to bill tree trimming to the tourist fund. The center is a nonprofit organization based in Seattle that provides advice to cities and counties.

“Their opinion was that it is probably not,” Abel said.

The State Auditor’s Office is considering getting the state attorney general’s opinion on the matter, she added.

“So that’s going to be carefully examined before that gets approved or not,” Abel told the crowd.

Several in the audience also wanted answers about staffing in the city’s planning department, one of the few departments financed by general tax revenues that will get an increase in funding next year.

The planning and development department was budgeted at $174,890 this year, and would rise to $188,597 in 2011.

With new construction at a virtual standstill, staffing will stay the same in the department, which has some wondering why.

Rhonda Salerno said the city was spending a lot for the planning department.

“We could do with one less planner,” Salerno said.

“That is very touchy,” she quickly added. “But it is a lot of money going into something that we’re not even having happening in this town.”

“It’s not about the people, it’s about what we really need in planning,” Salerno said.

Langley has two planners on staff, a rarity for cities its size. A review of the 2010 Washington City and County Salary and Benefit Survey, an extensive study produced by the Association of Washington Cities, shows only eight other places in Washington with populations less than 2,500 that have a junior planner on staff. (There are 133 cities and towns in Washington with a population less than 2,500.)

Langley also has a planning director, and the AWC survey shows just 10 other towns with populations less than 2,500 that have a planning director.

Out of those 18 towns just mentioned, only one — Leavenworth — has both a junior planner and a planning director, according to the AWC survey.

According to next year’s budget, the finance department will take the biggest hit, with cuts of $42,104 planned, leaving the department’s budget at $197,055 for 2011. The department is expected to face staffing cuts in the year ahead, but those have not yet been detailed by city officials.

Considering reductions made last year, the finance department has been cut by $105,907 over two years.

The cuts in the proposed budget may be just the start. City officials have also been looking at benefit packages and staff salaries, Mayor Paul Samuelson said.

Samuelson said that after the city raised its property tax levy lid in 2005, enough thought wasn’t put into how the increased revenue would be spent. Staff pay was raised, partly to make up for Langley’s lean years.

“Whether or not that was a wise decision, I’m not going to make that judgment,” Samuelson said.

The size of the city’s staff was also increased, he added.

“The problem with when you get an infusion of money and you put it into staffing, that’s a tough place to go back from,” Samuelson said.

“I don’t think there was the adequate process then,” he added. “We’re doing it now. And it’s more meaningful now.”

The outlook may turn bleaker for city employees as the council begins to shape next year’s budget, however.

Councilman Robert Gilman said the 2011 budget’s “ending funding balance” — the amount of carryover money that is used to pay the bills at the start of the new year before the first influx of property taxes arrives in May — may not be enough.

The proposed budget has set the ending fund balance at $106,898. That’s just below the amount [10 percent of the general fund] that the city has set as a policy goal.

“I’m feeling that the 10 percent is not enough,” Gilman said.

“It does look at the moment that the economy has kind of stabilized, but I’m hearing a lot about the bubble about to burst in China; the real estate bubble that China has generated,” Gilman continued.

“The New York fed today, with their economic index, dropped about 27 points, much beyond what anybody was expecting.

“I don’t mean to just be a tale of gloom, I’m just saying … we are still in very uncertain times,” Gilman added.

Putting more money into the end balance, though, would likely mean further reductions to staffing.

The next budget hearing is scheduled for Dec. 6 at city hall.