[{"_1":2,"_99":-5,"_100":-5},"loaderData",{"_3":4,"_26":27},"root",{"_5":6,"_17":10,"_18":19,"_20":21,"_22":10,"_23":-5,"_24":-5,"_25":10},"user",{"_7":8,"_9":10,"_11":10,"_12":-5,"_13":-5,"_14":15,"_16":-5},"roles",[],"isAuthenticated",false,"isPremium","planName","subscriptionStatus","featureFlags",{},"insightsBudget","isDevelopmentHost","userPreferences",{},"recaptchaSiteKey","6LcvOJcUAAAAAHsB-gPGfGktcRlKpH7OTIU_dMTD","isImpersonating","impersonation","affiliateStatus","isFreedomPortal","routes/v2/article/layout",{"_28":29,"_30":31},"notFound",true,"relatedArticles",[32,75,87],{"_33":34,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":40,"_41":42,"_43":44,"_45":46,"_47":48,"_49":50,"_51":52,"_53":54,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":60,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":66,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":73,"_74":73},"mediaId",6186539,"mediaKeyId","5074607-4006f1dd7e3fcce0e65f16258cc3fbf9","parentId",5074607,"title","Westcom asks College Place to back August ballot measure to fund 9-1-1 upgrades","audioSeconds",1148,"startMs",1129000,"endMs",2277000,"viewUrl","/Search/View?dp=1&key=5074607-4006f1dd7e3fcce0e65f16258cc3fbf9&start=1129&end=2277","thumbnailUrl","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/5074607-4006f1dd7e3fcce0e65f16258cc3fbf9/thumbnail_1129000.jpg","articleUrl","/articles/6186539/College-Place/Walla-Walla-County/Washington/Westcom-asks-College-Place-to-back-August-ballot-measure-to-fund-9-1-1-upgrades","mediaUrl","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6186539-611a3ad46ee16859309fa7465dfb7480/orig.mp4?Expires=1776563696&Signature=ZYmbzeJqBLjIODCRh5HRijqoNnWYc3HK-eUOMzuF5rlt14sS-JAIfVp~hxnbhdll8pr6ryc91282trWdBQgOfyJAReyhLxkC~jSoKBxlb4tRyCkVx9xyKDjxpcWD4-jigg~PyMNUByJEdzPistGtjJ6QB03MPA1AInuBdOk08b2bhF52XTpoDV~JXNBZd2oP91rRByqzJh5zjDgATMvoYhmR78Le8n8RZPN-kVUfvoZ0zFma-0ApxDb1lVeyEVG0-wHf67QfrnSPOUYuHHqtqZo~byntgh8nMXnh~u73LK8gY3nimD-Qbq3SHS5vUJA66PUfEEoXoV73xUxCNg2CxQ__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","author","City of College Place, WA","date","2025-06-25T16:09:59Z","article","Westcom manager Esther Click told the College Place City Council on June 24 that the Walla Walla County 9-1-1 center has reached a funding and infrastructure tipping point and will ask voters on Aug. 5 to approve a local sales and use tax to sustain operations.

Click said the center’s current budget of about $2.6 million—largely funded by user fees and a small share of state phone excise tax revenue—cannot reliably cover aging radio equipment, outdated computers and staffing needs. “This will be on the August 5 ballot,” Click said, adding the tax is proposed under state law (RCW 82.14) as a local sales-and-use option for 9-1-1.

Why it matters: Westcom provides 24/7 emergency-answering and dispatch services for Walla Walla County including College Place. Click said the center answered about 83,000 calls in 2024 and created 57,378 calls-for-service; staffing and technology have not been modernized since 1997, she said. Click argued a modest sales/use tax would spread the burden to visitors and customers of prepared foods, retail and other taxed purchases while protecting groceries, prescriptions and fuel.

Key facts and council questions

Click outlined the current funding mix: roughly $1.9 million in user fees billed to public-safety partners, about $500,000 from a state phone-excise allocation (70 cents per line), and restricted e9-1-1 grants that cannot be used for radio systems. She said a 0.2% sales/use tax applied to taxable retail purchases would have generated roughly $3.36 million in a recent year under county sales volumes, which would exceed the center’s present operating budget and could allow Westcom to reduce or eliminate partner user fees.

Council members asked how the money would be controlled and who would set Westcom’s budget. Click said the countywide executive committee established in the Westcom interlocal agreement would oversee major expenditures, approve budgets and audit use of the tax proceeds. “The executive committee … are the ones that approve my user fees when I make them increase,” she said.

Police Chief Tamara told council the equipment is so badly worn that staff keep systems “together with bubblegum and duct tape,” called the ballot measure a “need” rather than a want, and said savings could be redeployed into police staffing if user fees are eliminated.

What would be taxed and exemptions

Click said typical grocery items and prescriptions would remain exempt; the tax would apply to tangible personal property and prepared foods, convenience purchases, clothing and similar taxable retail transactions. She stressed the proposal is not a property tax or a fuel tax.

Next steps and oversight

Click said the ballot measure would appear on the Aug. 5 ballot and provided a QR code and landing page for more information and contact details. Audience members and a council member noted legal limits on using public resources to influence ballot measures and suggested formal council support should be coordinated with the city attorney to avoid public disclosure commission issues. Click and council members said any eventual shift from user-fee billing to sales-tax funding would be reviewed and approved by the Westcom executive committee.

Community reaction and context

Council members who asked questions expressed general support and said they would consider ways to assist, such as drafting a council resolution of support if legal constraints allow. Click said her goal is to reach a funding level that keeps Westcom self-sustaining and allows the city partners to reduce or eliminate annual user fees.

Evidence: presentation and Q&A by Esther Click, Westcom manager; comments from College Place council members and Chief Tamara.","mediaType","Video","parentTitle","City Council 6.24.2025","oneSentenceSummary","Westcom manager Esther Click told the College Place City Council on June 24 that the Walla Walla County 9-1-1 center will ask voters on Aug. 5 to approve a local sales/use tax to fund radio and facility upgrades, staffing and operations.","taxTitle","College Place, Walla Walla County, Washington","taxId",59219,"location","headline","","shortSummary",{"_33":76,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":77,"_41":78,"_43":79,"_45":80,"_47":81,"_49":82,"_51":83,"_53":84,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":85,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":86,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":73,"_74":73},6186530,"College Place approves applications to swap and expand urban growth area; staff presents land-capacity analysis",3751,3414000,7165000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=5074607-4006f1dd7e3fcce0e65f16258cc3fbf9&start=3414&end=7165","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/5074607-4006f1dd7e3fcce0e65f16258cc3fbf9/thumbnail_3414000.jpg","/articles/6186530/College-Place/Walla-Walla-County/Washington/College-Place-approves-applications-to-swap-and-expand-urban-growth-area-staff-presents-land-capacity-analysis","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6186530-093975264624d346b89ed3b71668a5f7/orig.mp4?Expires=1776563696&Signature=fByweLk3lJAwtfnSJcULSH6bUoc8e0g1EJSmp98XObGhkn9Ef97FpyaSmB56TkMIu8JfNGn~ZrnAaoY9q3SycXbgNmH08pkPv9lbvlhGYH93nsyFoygyrqvuzoU9nDPOv7YwERsQXJpXt-F4Wgpfy75Uom-w~FD27L-v2LBIJdDdZxCuvVIYScJ3LrHhWom1EWcK781hhShdckNk1aeptUbZfy81Y6zYv8rMmjwhkcYezsbKTAKZlJ4jnw7QOufHb4OL0PTyMNvS0JuGvmGfg256JdcQMTe7Z7XlNoWBNNn5zeirLO0MxFhr~apjk9YPRUsRim7voQVsz51uEA4UOg__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","College Place staff told the city council on June 24 that the city’s updated land-capacity analysis and Housing Action Program inputs show a need for additional multifamily housing and commercial/industrial land, and the council authorized applications to the county to swap and expand urban growth area (UGA) boundaries.

What staff presented

Staff said county population-allocation work and state-required housing-analysis tools (HAP) produced a target county allocation and a city target increase of about 3,439 people by 2046. Using the HAP methodology and local zoning data, staff reported the city needs roughly 1,500 additional housing units to serve the projected population increase—about 208 single-family units and about 1,300 multifamily units. That multifamily shortfall equates to roughly 28 acres under the model’s density assumptions, though staff said internal rezoning and specific site choices could reduce that acreage need.

On employment land, staff reported a deficit of roughly 247 jobs compared with current vacant/underutilized commercial and industrial land and said that translates to about 58 acres of commercial/industrial land needed. Staff pointed to specific candidate properties near Martin Airfield and along Highway 125/College Avenue for expansion, and discussed swaps that would remove underperforming UGA parcels and add more suitable land south of town near the planned school site.

Council action and next steps

Council voted to authorize staff to submit two county applications: 1) a UGA swap package exchanging certain existing UGA parcels for more developable parcels inside the current county UGA boundary, and 2) an expansion package to add selected parcels to the UGA for multifamily and industrial/commercial use. Staff noted application fees and county review costs are expected to be about $36,000 to $40,000 and that county docketing, planning-commission review and county-commission hearings will take several months; the county has granted participating jurisdictions an extension on the state deadline.

Why it matters

The applications are part of the city’s comprehensive-plan update and will determine what land is available for housing and jobs through 2046. Staff said they will continue internal rezoning work to maximize in-city capacity and will submit the applications by the county’s July 1 deadline.

Representative quote

“We need another 1,500 housing units for College Place,” a staff presenter summarized during the analysis.

Evidence: staff presentation of the land-capacity analysis, maps of pipeline projects and vacant/underutilized parcels, council vote authorizing UGA swap and expansion applications and related rezones.","City staff told the College Place City Council on June 24 that a land-capacity analysis shows a projected need for about 1,500 housing units—mostly multifamily—and for additional commercial/industrial acreage; the council authorized UGA swap and expansion applications to the county.",{"_33":88,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":89,"_41":90,"_43":91,"_45":92,"_47":93,"_49":94,"_51":95,"_53":96,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":97,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":98,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":73,"_74":73},6186534,"College Place council begins city administrator search, appoints interim and OKs short contract with outgoing administrator",2710,2715000,5425000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=5074607-4006f1dd7e3fcce0e65f16258cc3fbf9&start=2715&end=5425","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/5074607-4006f1dd7e3fcce0e65f16258cc3fbf9/thumbnail_2715000.jpg","/articles/6186534/College-Place/Walla-Walla-County/Washington/College-Place-council-begins-city-administrator-search-appoints-interim-and-OKs-short-contract-with-outgoing-administrator","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6186534-6526e4ec90b058913bdd04ef534bc0a0/orig.mp4?Expires=1776563696&Signature=Hq3WjS5FnNC9AxAjSw2kljMLKA32m0guWa3ucoTlxmGtR0SMb37OHyduM3IcsF-A2SpDFeYqCrmK97o0Lr8-27iTYeGyuAdAW1Ea3jLeocO49h84K4cqEQ~jVlOXAmKET2G9NIz~x89aQhHJHc3i6cjPGWIxv3~x9Pnj78guY4Ya1ykzPtfd0LYFN5JoalTmRUM2PTGR9Rxn5dbEYkxZAU6qxhwzvwEwG3tk1BIez5luNF0HyCe45sAA-YrLLMdeADGgscOEKfA1EOFmJLKM9F6pGJAis7OKmlNqkb9r~hOnHIsX~9WgJzp6j~kftrHXOlwfkqQXKtgEbKngOeLk8w__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","The College Place City Council on June 24 authorized a professional search for the next city administrator, appointed an interim city administrator under contract and approved a short-term consulting agreement with outgoing City Administrator Mike Rizzitello.

Search and interim

The council approved a recruitment services agreement with GMP Consultants to lead the city-administrator search and established a recruitment budget not to exceed $35,000. The same consultant’s interim-placement service was approved to bring an interim city administrator—contracted through GMP at an hourly rate—while the permanent search is conducted.

Council discussion noted the city’s desire for a prompt process: staff noted comparable searches can run 12–16 weeks. In the interim presentation, the candidate indicated he would spend most of his time on site and expected to work about 80% in person.

Outgoing administrator’s consulting arrangement

The council also approved a professional-services contract with Mike Rizzitello’s LLC (doing business as Whiskers and Puzzles LLC) to provide grant writing and project-management services as needed while the city completes recruitment and onboarding. The contract sets a billable rate of $90 per hour, billed in quarter-hour increments; the agreement was presented as open-ended and will be used only if Rizzitello is available and there is no conflict with his next employment.

Why it matters: continuity and project completion

Council members and staff stressed continuity: Rizzitello’s tenure included multiple capital projects, events and grant efforts, and council members repeatedly credited him with securing significant grant funding during his service. The post-employment consulting contract was presented as a tool to preserve institutional knowledge and complete work already underway rather than to create a new long-term obligation.

Votes and procedure

The council passed the recruitment contract and the interim placement contract after public discussion and adopted the professional-services agreement for Rizzitello. For the recruitment contract the council established a $35,000 recruitment budget; for the interim placement they approved GMP’s proposed hourly arrangement; the consulting contract with Rizzitello was approved at $90 per hour.

Evidence: motions and adoption of resolutions authorizing the mayor to sign contracts with GMP Consultants for recruitment and interim services and authorizing a professional-services contract with Rizzitello LLC for grant writing and project management.","The College Place City Council authorized a recruitment contract with GMP Consultants, approved an interim administrator contract and approved a professional-services retainer for outgoing city administrator Mike Rizzitello to assist with grant writing and project management during the transition.","actionData","errors"]

Article not found

Westcom asks College Place to back August ballot measure to fund 9-1-1 upgrades

College Place approves applications to swap and expand urban growth area; staff presents land-capacity analysis

College Place council begins city administrator search, appoints interim and OKs short contract with outgoing administrator