City accepts $62,500 grant from Washington Department of Commerce for comp plan update

The DuPont City Council approved an agency agreement to accept $62,500 from the Washington State Department of Commerce to support the city’s comprehensive plan update.

City staff said the award will reimburse work on the comp plan update, including a required climate element. Dan Pratt, city staff, told the council, “This right here is $62,500 that the Department of Commerce would be paying in support of our update.”

The grant will fund parts of the comp plan update the state is requiring for municipalities. Council members asked whether accepting the money would create additional obligations beyond the state’s existing requirement. Pratt said the Climate Commitment Act already requires the municipality to include an element in the comp plan; the Commerce funds do not add new substantive conditions beyond the state mandate but will increase paperwork for city staff.

Council members moved and seconded approval; the motion passed by voice vote. The agreement is intended to allow the city to be reimbursed for work on the comp plan update.

The vote came during the council’s consideration of business item 7.b; staff said the grant is one of many similar awards the Department of Commerce provides to municipalities to help meet state planning requirements. Pratt and city clerk treasurer Debbie Cragan will manage related documentation required for reimbursement.

The council did not set new local requirements as part of accepting the grant; Pratt said staff will return with the comp plan materials and follow-up work under the normal update schedule.