Yakima projects $9 million general-fund shortfall; city launches survey and town halls

Mayor Patricia Byers and Deputy Mayor Matt Brown said the City of Yakima projects a $9,000,000 shortfall in the general fund beginning in 2026 and are asking residents to help set priorities through an online survey, outreach pop-ups and a series of district town halls.

“We're looking at a potential $9,000,000 deficit starting through 2026 and that is in the general fund,” Mayor Patricia Byers said. She explained the general fund covers core city operations — police, parks, streets and administrative services — while enterprise funds such as water and wastewater use separate capital buckets.

The shortfall comes as the overall city budget is roughly $270,000,000, with about $75,000,000 allocated to the general fund, officials said. City leaders attributed the gap to rising costs over the past four years, limited growth in fixed revenue sources such as sales and property taxes, and increased labor and operating costs.

Deputy Mayor Matt Brown said the city has already reduced spending in prior budgets. “We did. In the previous year's budget, we cut 10% across the board,” he said, adding that many vacancies were left unfilled and departments are operating with lean staffing.

Because the city cannot automatically increase local revenue to match inflation, officials said council must weigh options that include additional cuts to service levels, using a mix of smaller reductions, or raising revenue through measures such as property taxes. The city’s public survey presents residents with trade-offs: residents can choose programs to reduce to fill the $9,000,000 gap or indicate whether they would support a property tax increase to preserve services, particularly public-safety funding.

The survey is available on the City of Yakima website and linked from the city’s social media accounts. City staff will also run pop-up events at community locations and hold combined district town halls (for example, districts 3, 4 and 5 together; 5 and 6 together) where attendees can fill out the survey on iPads with staff assistance.

Byers said the city is using a priority-based budgeting framework established about a year to 18 months ago to guide the exercise and that a citizen budget advisory committee — composed of residents nominated by each council member — is reviewing department priorities and will issue a report to the council, expected in April. Officials said May is when the council will begin budget work on the 2026 portion of the biennial budget and that formal decisions will be required in May and June.

The survey lists several high-impact options as examples to show what reductions would look like; officials cited “major things” that could be on the table, including closing a fire station, closing city pools, or closing the Harmon Center, though no decisions have been made. Byers emphasized that the survey is information-gathering, not a final decision: “We haven't made any decisions. We want to know what the people in the community we serve, what they want, what are their priorities, what they're willing to pay for, what they're not willing to pay for,” she said.

City Manager Vicki Baker was cited by officials as taking part in outreach and making presentations to community organizations in addition to the town halls and pop-ups.

Officials said preliminary public reaction has been mostly positive, especially among residents who appreciate being asked to set priorities. Some seniors have asked for assistance completing the online survey; staff will provide in-person help at pop-ups and town halls. The mayor noted that while she will advocate for programs in her district (including attendees from the Harmon Center), budgeting decisions require council approval and compromise.

Mayor Byers urged residents to take the survey so the council will have broader input before making difficult trade-offs: “This is factual,” she said, describing the budget position and the need to act to avoid a worse position in 2027 and 2028.

Ending: The city will publish a schedule for pop-up events and town halls on the City of Yakima website. Residents who want their preferences considered are encouraged to complete the survey online or at an outreach event before the council meets to set the 2026 budget.