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College Place council adopts two ordinances, awards sidewalk contract and approves engineering amendment
Summary
Councilors unanimously approved Ordinance Nos. 25‑007 (Hay Shaker Farm de‑annexation) and 25‑008 (325 NE Della annexation), awarded a $347,222 low bid (with 20% contingency) to ESF Solutions for the Southeast Eighth Street Birch–Larch sidewalk project and approved a $530,000 contract amendment with JUB for the Sixth Street/Birch improvements.
The College Place City Council on Sept. 23 approved a slate of land‑use and capital actions, including two ordinances, a construction contract award and an engineering contract amendment.
Ordinances: after public hearings the council adopted Ordinance No. 25‑007 to de‑annex Hay Shaker Farm to Blue Mountain Resources LLC (a land‑trust affiliate) to preserve agricultural use, and approved Ordinance No. 25‑008 to annex 325 NE Della Avenue (a vacant parcel where the owner plans a duplex). Both ordinances passed with the council recording “the ayes have it.”
Sidewalk contract: capital projects staff recommended awarding the TIB portion (Birch to Larch) of the Southeast Eighth Street sidewalk project. Council member Espinosa moved to award the contract to ESF Solutions for a low bid of $347,222 and to authorize a 20% contingency for a total authorized contract amount of $416,666; the council approved the award and authorized the public works director to execute contract documents.
Engineering amendment: the council also approved a contract amendment with on‑call engineer JUB to account for added design and stormwater work on the Sixth Street and Birch Avenue improvements. The amendment increases the previously authorized JUB contract by $530,000 (from $197,000 to $727,000). Staff said funding for the additional engineering is covered by the public‑works loan program associated with the project and that in‑house inspection will offset some consultant fees.
Budget and staffing context: during earlier presentations staff said property tax growth is constrained by statute (roughly 1% annual increase) and that a proposed 10% utility tax on stormwater could generate roughly $75,000 for stormwater operations. Finance staff forecast modest revenue growth tied to anticipated development and said the council will review cost estimates and staffing requests on Oct. 7.
Votes and next steps: motions to approve the ordinances, the contract award and the JUB amendment passed; staff will finalize contract documents, proceed with procurement steps for remaining bid components, and return with detailed budget and expenditure recommendations as part of the 2026 budget process.
