Washougal City Council Workshop — November 3, 2025

The Washougal City Council held a workshop on Monday, November 3, 2025, from 5:00 PM to 6:17 PM via Zoom. Mayor David Stuebe presided, with Mayor Pro Tem David Fritz and Councilmembers Molly Coston, Julie Russell, Michelle Wagner, Tia Robertson (Zoom), and Ernie Suggs (Zoom) present; Student Representative Jake Larzalere was absent. Staff included City Manager David Scott, Community Development Director Mitch Kneipp, Finance Director/City Clerk Daniel Layer, Human Resources Director Teresa Stedman, and consultants Jessica Herceg and Mariah Mitchell of DOWL. The agenda covered Comprehensive Plan Minor Element Revisions, the 2025 Supplemental Budget #1 Update and 2026 Property Tax Levies, and reports including the city's Shared Leave Policy. No public comments were offered.

Public Comments & Testimony

• No members of the public provided comments.

Discussion Items

• Comprehensive Plan Minor Element Revisions (Natural Resources, Parks & Open Space, Procedural Element) — presented by Mitch Kneipp with Jessica Herceg and Mariah Mitchell of DOWL:

  • Project schedule: Clark County issued its draft Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) on October 1; the countywide agricultural land study is due November 4; the draft EIS comment period ends in late November; a countywide preferred alternative is expected by the end of February 2026, with final EIS and local adoption targeted for mid-July 2026. Presenters noted all dates are tentative and dependent on the agricultural land study and EIS outcomes.
  • Natural Resources & Critical Areas: The city has no designated agricultural, forest, or mineral resource lands inside its limits or UGA, so the update is described as a 'soft' refresh — adding a shoreline master program coordination section, updating goals and policies, and adding new goals on Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife coordination, best available science, and native plant stewardship. The Planning Commission recommended consolidating two critical-areas policies; DOWL is taking that suggestion under advisement.
  • Parks & Open Space: The draft proposes replacing the current level-of-service standard of 5 acres per 1,000 residents with a 10-minute walkability/access standard, building on the 2021 Parks & Recreation Plan and the forthcoming 2026 park plan. A new Policy 5L addresses climate resilience of parks per House Bill 1181.
  • Procedural Criteria Element: Draft updates clarify emergency amendment provisions, the shoreline master program amendment process, public participation procedures, and add new five-year GMA implementation reporting requirements.
  • Councilmember Julie Russell asked whether park capacity is measured by site area or parking, citing neighbor concerns about summer crowds and parking in the Sandy/Hamlet area, and suggested limiting future parking to resident-only passes. Another councilmember expressed support for a paid parking lot with resident/non-resident rate differentiation. City Manager David Scott said parks rental and cost-recovery policies are on the work plan for 2026 and that resident vs. non-resident fee questions would be part of that broader conversation.
  • Next steps: Council and Planning Commission feedback will be folded into a combined comp plan packet in Q1/Q2 2026; the Planning Commission will review development code updates on November 12, with development code updates coming to council in January 2026.

• Finance: 2025 Supplemental Budget #1 Update and 2026 Property Tax Levies — presented by Daniel Layer:

  • Hotel/motel tax fund: Two additions — year-end advertising deals for 2026 tourism promotion and about $2,550 in 2025 Civic Plus website hosting fees — bring the supplemental total to $102,970; with $47,303 available in the adopted budget, the proposed budget amendment is $55,667. Council and staff noted the city saved roughly $4,000 because the LTAC granted partial rather than full reimbursement on the project discussed.
  • Stormwater fund: The Q Street infiltration pond project was added, requiring an additional $70,000 and bringing the stormwater expenditure increase to $606,510.
  • Citywide totals: Revenue increases of $4,020,134 and expenditure increases of $5,877,439 across funds, including a $550,000 credit back to the general fund from the capital facilities project fund reallocation and an increase in the wastewater treatment plant budget from about $16.5 million to $20 million (the total project is estimated at a little north of $40 million; the community saved $11 million, with the remainder funded by debt via clean water loans).
  • 2026 property tax levies: The adopted budget assumed a 1% levy increase and 2.02% new-construction growth; the actual new-construction figure came in at 2.01%. The implicit price deflator is 2.44%, so the council is capped at a 1% increase absent an emergency declaration. Two items on that evening's regular meeting consent agenda set public hearings (to be advertised twice) for the property tax and EMS levies on November 17. Layer explained levy mechanics using a two-year example; Mayor Pro Tem Fritz noted that previous councils had declined the increase during the Great Recession and that the increase was banked, adding that with the city's growth and obligations, 'we have to keep up.' Layer also noted employee health insurance costs are rising 7% to nearly 10%.

Reports and Communications

• City Manager David Scott: Encouraged everyone to vote, noting Election Day is November 4; reported on the ICMA Annual Conference in Florida, which drew about 5,000 participants from around the world; and requested a future discussion on expanding the Shared Leave Policy to allow employees to donate accrued sick leave in addition to vacation leave. He cited roughly 18 donations over the last five years and noted safeguards such as a proposed 480-hour minimum sick leave balance. Councilmembers raised concerns about unexpected illness and favoritism and asked HR Director Teresa Stedman to research whether targeted employee-to-employee donations are legal; the city previously moved away from that model on advice of a former HR director.
• Mayor David Stuebe: Proposed canceling the November 10 workshop and regular meeting; councilmembers agreed.
• City Council: Councilmembers Wagner, Coston, Russell, Suggs, and Robertson deferred; Mayor Pro Tem Fritz deferred.

Key Outcomes

• Council agreed to cancel the November 10, 2025 workshop and regular meeting; next meetings are Monday, November 17, 2025 — workshop at 5:00 PM and council at 7:00 PM. Note: the printed agenda listed November 10 as the upcoming meeting, but council voted to cancel it.
• The 2025 Supplemental Budget #1 ordinance was placed on the regular meeting agenda immediately following the workshop; a possible Supplemental Budget #2 was flagged for late November or early December.
• Public hearings for the 2026 property tax levy and EMS levy were set for November 17 via the regular meeting consent agenda.
• Staff will bring a revised Shared Leave Policy proposal to the next meeting, and HR will research the legality of targeted donations.
• Mitch Kneipp will brief the council on the county agricultural land study and EIS process on December 1, with development code updates expected in January 2026.