In what she describes as a "Hail Mary," the mayor of University Place is urging coaches, parents and other boosters of the city parks and recreation department to attend the City Council meeting tonight to speak against cutting the department and to press council members to rescind a pay raise they gave themselves last month.

The regularly scheduled council meeting will start at 7 p.m. at Town Hall, 3715 Bridgeport Way West.

City Manager Bob Jean has said University Place is facing a grave budget outlook for 2010, as a result of the international economic downturn, previous statewide tax-cutting initiatives, and the challenges of developing the UP Town Center project.

Jean sent a memo to his parks department director last Thursday, essentially putting parks and rec programs in limbo and helping stir a panic among users and leaders of those programs.

“Effective immediately, I do NOT want us to start or enter into any program or contract obligation for 2010 Recreation Programs,” Jean wrote in the Thursday memo to Gary Cooper. “ Also, I want to hold off printing the 2010 Recreation Brochure until mid-December,” he wrote.

Jean told The News Tribune that he’s looking at budget cuts in all departments, and that he won’t finish studying and finalizing the cuts he proposes to the City Council until a Nov. 30 budget workshop. But he did say the city can’t afford to continue spending as much as it does on parks and rec.

“The city cannot afford to subsidize recreation programs to the tune of $600,000 a year,” he said Friday, noting that’s the equivalent of six police officers.

Meanwhile, the council is taking some heat for raising its pay at the Oct. 19 City Council meeting. By a vote of 4-3, the council decided to increase the monthly pay of the mayor from $1,639 to $1,750, the mayor pro-tem from $1,476 to $1,600, and the remaining five council members from $1,367 to $1,500. (A portion of this increase would have happened anyway because of an automatic cost of living increase.) The total cost to the city next year for salary and health benefits will be approximately $237,272.

The motion was favored by council members Jean Brooks, Stan Flemming, Ken Grassi and Lorna Smith. It was opposed by Mayor Linda Bird and council members Linda Klosowski and Gerald Gehring.

The same night, the council rejected a motion that would have taken the opposite approach by cutting members’ pay and health benefits. This would have reduced the cost to the city to roughly $186,466 next year. It failed 3-4, with Bird, Klosowski and Gehring supporting the cut.

Now Bird is trying to get the council to reconsider the pay raise at tonight’s meeting, saying it’s a last-gasp chance to rescind the previous decision. She also wants the council to approve a 50 percent pay cut for themselves in order to save parks and recreation programs.

Some of her fellow council members say Bird is trying to score late political points as she fights to keep her seat.

Smith accused Bird of unnecessarily alarming the community with two unrelated issues. Bird is acting like "she's going to save the day by doing this," Smith charged.

Smith said she believes recreation programs will survive through user fees.

Bird said this afternoon her proposal isn't election-eve theatrics but rather a pre-election necessity. She says if more than $100,000 could be saved in the 2010 budget, it could be enough to retain at least the youth sports and senior citizen parts of the parks and recreation program.

Such a vote must be made tonight, because a sitting council can't vote on any measure that affects its salary and benefits. The salary increase the council approved two weeks ago – and any action the council might take tonight – would apply to the four council members elected Tuesday and sworn into office in January, she said. Any changes in pay and benefits attached to the three seats not on Tuesday's ballot can't be changed until after the election in 2011.

It's not a political move, it's what she thinks is right for the city, Bird said. But she acknowledged it's entangled in election politics.

"And, yes, it's a last-ditch Hail Mary," she said. "And I don't think it's going to do my campaign one bit of good."

Bird, Grassi and Smith are all up for re-election Tuesday. Flemming’s seat is open; he decided not to run for reelection.

Matt Misterek: 253-597-8472 matt.misterek@thenewstribune.com