Yakima City Council Study Session and Public Hearings on Property Tax and 2026 Budget – November 12, 2025
Yakima City Council Study Session and Public Hearings on Property Tax and 2026 Budget – November 12, 2025
The Yakima City Council held a study session and two public hearings on November 12, 2025, convened at 5:05 p.m. and adjourned at 7:14 p.m. The meeting focused on the 2026 property tax levy and the 2026 Preliminary Mid-Biennial Budget, which faces a structural deficit. Council adopted ordinances authorizing the property tax levy and directed staff to seek revenue-neutral alternatives for several community facilities and services facing closure or cuts.
Public Comments & Testimony
- Anne Knapp, City resident, opposed continued financial support for the Yakima Valley Trolleys given current budget challenges.
- Charlene Freeman, City resident; Gary Bailey, City resident; Betty Jaeger, County resident; and Lois Cruikshank, Selah resident, spoke in opposition to the potential closure of the Harman Senior Center, emphasizing its role in socialization, nutrition, and therapeutic programs for seniors.
- Tony Sandoval, City resident, addressed Councilmember Glenn's use of the term "illegal aliens" at a prior meeting, requesting respectful language toward undocumented individuals.
- Jonathan Hood, City resident and city employee, opposed the closure of Yakima Fire Department Station 92, citing its strategic importance for response times.
- Kenton Gartrell, County resident and City property owner, spoke in opposition to the annual property tax levy, reminding council of their campaign pledges against new taxes.
- Curt Wilson, City resident and Executive Director of the Downtown Association, supported the property tax levy for public safety and opposed closures of the Harman Center and Lions Pool.
- Jeanna Hernandez, City resident, supported the levy, noting that the 1% property tax increase is state-allowed and necessary to fund public safety.
- Amanda Nelson, TJ Mullinax, and Mary Guernsey, County residents, spoke in support of the levy and opposed closures, particularly of Lions Pool, which is the only indoor facility for high school swim teams in the Yakima Valley.
- Mike Mullen, Pamela Mullen, and Linda Lockwood, City residents, spoke in opposition to the potential closure of the Harman Center, describing it as a lifeline for seniors.
Discussion Items
- Property Tax Ordinances (4A): Finance Director Craig Warner presented the proposed 2026 ad valorem tax levy, explaining that state law allows a 1% annual increase plus new construction. The city’s current levy is $22.36 million; the request is $23.20 million, including a $250,000 buffer. The council heard public testimony before voting.
- 2026 Preliminary Mid-Biennial Budget (4B): City Manager Vicki Baker and Finance Director Craig Warner provided an overview of the $9 million structural deficit, noting that a proposed $6 million levy lid lift failed. The budget includes $3 million in Police cuts, $1.75 million in Fire cuts, and $1.4 million in Parks and Recreation cuts. Department heads detailed the impacts:
- Fire Chief Aaron Markham: Closing Station 92 would eliminate 12 positions (three shifts of three plus one relief), increase response times, and potentially raise insurance ratings for nearby residents. The department’s budget is 89% personnel.
- Police Chief Shawn Boyle: Reducing 13 positions (12 officers, one sergeant, four community service officers, one analyst supervisor, one analyst) would bring officer strength from 148 (2017) to 124 (2026), well below the national average of 2.4 officers per thousand (city would be at 1.2). Proactive policing and response times would suffer.
- Parks and Recreation Manager Ken Wilkinson: Proposed cuts include closing the Harman Center, Lions Pool, and Washington Fruit Community Center, plus a 16% reduction in park maintenance (less mowing, bathroom closures). 31 positions (23 part-time/seasonal) would be cut.
- Council discussed alternatives to closing Station 92, including an EMS levy or other revenue options, but no immediate alternative was presented.
Key Outcomes
- Ordinance A (Intent to increase levy up to 101%): Motion to pass carried 5–2 (Berg and Roy voting no). ORDINANCE NO. 2025-031.
- Ordinance B (Fix and levy ad valorem taxes): Motion to pass carried 7–0. ORDINANCE NO. 2025-032.
- Harman Center: Motion by Brown, seconded by Berg, to direct staff to develop a budget that is revenue neutral to the General Fund carried 7–0.
- Lions Pool: Motion by Brown, seconded by Deccio, to direct the City Manager to speak with school districts about a joint cost-sharing agreement carried 7–0.
- Washington Fruit Center: Amended motion by Byers, seconded by Herrera, to direct staff to develop a revenue-neutral budget for the General Fund carried 7–0.
- Franklin Pool: Motion by Brown, seconded by Deccio, to add Franklin Pool design and repair to the 2026 legislative priorities carried 6–1 (Byers voting no).
- Lean Performance Study: Motion by Brown, seconded by Berg, to formally request a Lean performance study from the Washington State Auditor's Center for Government Innovation (RCW 43.09.470) to evaluate all General Fund departments and related enterprise funds carried 7–0.
Meeting Transcript
Good evening and welcome. I'm going to call the uh Yakim City Council study session of number twelfth, twenty twenty-five to order. Thank you. Before we get going, let me just say that it's okay to stand. However, we have to keep the doorways clear for safety reasons. So if you're standing and you're in front of a door, you'll need to find another spot to stand, please. And there the TVs are going on in the lobby as well, so you can you can hear from out there. So thank you. All right. We'll start with roll call. Bird? Here. Brown? Here. Byers? Present. DCO? Here. Glenn? Here. Herrera? Here. Roy. Here. Thank you. Next on the agenda is public comment. So, Council, we have a lot of persons here tonight, and I'd like this consensus to go beyond 15 minutes if we need to do that. If we need to thank you. So if you're here for public comment, please make sure you fill out a slip in the lobby and turn it into the clerk. You'll have two and a half minutes. I will say that those who have specified they specifically want to talk during the public hearing time. I will hold your papers until that period of time. Otherwise, if I call your name, please come forward when you come to the podium. Give us your name in the city in which you live. Thank you. The first is Anne Knapp. Hi, thank you for listening today. Listening to me today. My name is Ann Knapp, and I live in the city of Yakima. And I think it's time to stop funding the trolleys. Funding a nonprofit may be admirable when we have funds to spare, but we should be careful choosing which nonprofits deserve taxpayer money. The city is in a huge budget hole. We can't spend millions of dollars to rebuild broken tracks, more millions to build and energize new electric poles, and more millions to rebuild a bridge that could include bike and pet access, but deliberately excludes multimodal access. How do Yacima taxpayers benefit from this? The trolley functions as an occasional tourist excursion. It's not ADA accessible. Many more Yakima residents use the Harman Center and Franklin Pool. Both of these enhance community health and well-being. The trolleys are not, as advertised. America's last intact early 20th century interurban electric railroad.
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