Washington council approves fiscal 2025–26 budget

The Washington City Council approved the city's fiscal year 2025'26 budget during its Sept. 22 meeting, voting to adopt an ordinance that formalizes spending plans across general, water, wastewater, solid waste, capital improvement and transportation funds.

City staff presented highlights during a public hearing before the vote, saying the budget includes the second and final phase of the McGrath salary study for employees. Finance staff also recommended conservative growth assumptions for revenue: a 1.5% increase for sales tax and a 5% estimate for use tax for the coming fiscal year.

Tammy, a city finance staff member who provided the revenue update, told the council that the city closed fiscal 2024'25 stronger than projected, with sales tax receipts finishing 3.1% above the prior year (the budget had estimated 2%) and use tax finishing 12.4% (budgeted at 5%). She said staff therefore used more cautious projections for 2025'26 because of uncertain external factors.

Mayor Doug Hagedorn praised staff and department heads for their work preparing the budget and cited the package of capital projects and grant-funded improvements in the city's multi-year infrastructure plan.

After hearing no public objections, the council moved the budget ordinance forward and adopted it on a recorded vote. The council's approval clears the city to proceed with the stated salary adjustments and planned projects listed in the adopted appropriation.

Budget adoption was accompanied by brief remarks thanking city staff for the work involved in compiling departmental figures and finalizing the closeout numbers from the prior year. The ordinance was introduced and approved as part of the meeting's consent and legislative items.

Looking ahead, staff and the council said they will continue to report to the public on implementation of the budget and any required adjustments as projects move to construction or contracts are executed.