Sunnyside forecasts $2 million general‑fund shortfall; council weighs hiring freeze and outsourcing dispatch

Sunnyside Finance Director Monica Hofstetter told the City Council on Nov. 14 that the city faces a substantial budget gap in the general fund after a review of accounting records and recent years’ allocations. "There was still a $2,000,000 deficit in the general fund," Hofstetter said, summarizing the results of a five‑year examination of line items and allocations.

The shortfall led Hofstetter and staff to propose immediate cost‑saving steps: a hiring freeze on nonessential positions, reassigning employees where enterprise funds can bear labor costs, and outsourcing the city’s dispatch center. "We are going to outsource the dispatch center. In April, the dispatch center will be closed," Hofstetter said, describing preliminary plans for Yakima County to take over dispatch services and for affected city employees to apply for positions there.

Councilors pressed staff for details about retained local duties. Police and corrections functions tied to jail operations — for example, electronic door control and inmate monitoring — would still require local coverage, officials said. Police leadership and city staff plan to meet with the Yakima County sheriff’s office to assess feasibility and what positions, if any, would remain local.

Other proposed reductions under discussion include trimming recreation hours at the municipal pool (close low‑use weekdays), eliminating or freezing vacant administrative positions, and curbing leased vehicle spending outside public safety. Hofstetter reiterated that several available state or federal grants are capital‑only and cannot fund ongoing personnel costs, limiting options to plug operational shortfalls.

Councilmembers signaled urgency but asked for more detail before formal decisions. Staff said additional special meetings could be scheduled; the council is scheduled to hold a final public hearing and consider budget adoption in early December. Next steps include staff follow‑up on dispatch regionalization, a more detailed analysis of positions affected by a hiring freeze, and continued work to reconcile prior misallocations that widened the gap.