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Pasco council approves extension of HAPO Center interlocal agreement with Franklin County through Dec. 31, 2025
Summary
The Pasco City Council unanimously approved Joint Resolution 4604 to extend the interlocal and financing agreement for the HAPO Center to Dec. 31, 2025, preserving current subsidy arrangements while directing further negotiations on governance, finance and a long-term disposition for ball fields.
The Pasco City Council on May 27, 2025 approved Joint Resolution 4604 to extend the interlocal cooperative agreement with Franklin County for the HAPO Center through Dec. 31, 2025, the council’s staff said.
Mr. Zabel, speaking for the city, told council that Pasco has invested about $7,700,000 into the HAPO Center over the life of the agreement: “The majority of it, 5,600,000.0 for operational subsidies per the agreement, and about 2,100,000.0 over for, 20 years worth of loan payments towards your initial capital outlay for, construction of the project itself.” He said the original interlocal agreement dated to 1994, the original deal was 30 years and its most recent expiration was May 31, 2025.
The extension keeps the current ILA status quo while giving the city and county time to negotiate a successor agreement or a more comprehensive modification. Zabel said the resolution lists about a dozen topics for negotiation, including governance of the facility, a review of operating revenues and expenses, the subsidy split and the disposition of the land lease for municipal ball fields that the city operates under a nominal lease.
Councilmember Harpster and Councilmember Prowse said they were frustrated by prior short-term extensions but supportive of negotiating a longer-term solution. Prowse said the committee’s goal is that “this is the last 1. I don't care if we're here on Christmas Eve, but before the end of the year, this needs to get done.”
Councilmember Burrows asked about accountability and financial reporting by the organization operating the HAPO Center. Zabel replied that the city is working with the county’s new leadership and has received more detailed financial information than in the recent past; he said reporting and accounting are topics to be addressed in a successor ILA so the council is “not in the same position that we have been in the last 5, 6 years.”
Councilmember Milne moved to approve Joint Resolution 4604, and Councilmember Laysdale seconded. The council approved the extension unanimously. Mr. Zabel said the extension preserves the status quo on subsidy share and operating responsibilities while the parties continue negotiations. The Franklin County Commission was scheduled to consider the same extension the following day.
Next steps: staff said it would transmit notice of the council’s action to the county administrator ahead of the county meeting and continue negotiations on governance, finance and the long-term disposition or security for the ball fields.
