Goldendale council hears budget update, waterline progress and proposal to create hearing examiner

Goldendale — At a regular meeting, Goldendale City Council received updates on the 2025 budget and several infrastructure projects, discussed a draft ordinance to create an office of the hearing examiner, and heard resident concerns about trees on West Broadway.

Finance consultant Jen Forsberg told the council the 2025 budget numbers remain largely unchanged from the prior presentation and that public hearings are scheduled for the council’s next meeting on Nov. 18, when the property tax levy must be approved for county filing. Forsberg said the city expects an approximate year-end general fund balance of $1.3 million and noted that about $979,000 of that balance represents ARPA funds that are now unrestricted; she said staff could not find a prior formal council action that specified planned uses for the unencumbered ARPA amount.

The council pressed staff on how much of the carryover is non-ARPA funds. Forsberg and staff said the non-ARPA cash carryover will likely be roughly $400,000; councilors compared that with historical targets (council members recalled efforts to maintain reserves around $200,000 and discussed moving toward a $400–$500,000 target).

Dustin Conroy gave a progress report on the North Bay Waterline Improvement Project, saying Second Street is now served by the new waterline, pressure tests are underway for Pine Street and other locations, paving is expected this week, and open work is expected to be closed within about 10 days if weather cooperates. Several council members raised concerns about the condition of a nearby road cut and debated whether a short-term asphalt patch is appropriate this winter or whether the street should be reconstructed with grant funding at a later date. Conroy said the waterline work itself is funded by a Public Works Trust Fund loan that is dedicated to the waterline scope; staff said that source cannot be directly reallocated to fully reconstruct the road, though other grants or loans could be pursued.

Katrina Olsen of RH2 Engineering briefed the council on the wastewater treatment plant improvement project, reporting that aeration diffusers and in-ground piping are installed, the solids-handling building and drying pad structures are complete, mechanical equipment has been delivered, and the project is about 80% paid to date and remains within budget. Olsen said electrical equipment delivery in December controls the schedule, with new equipment start-up expected in January and project closeout planned in early 2025.

The council also discussed a draft ordinance from attorney Quinn Plant that would eliminate the board of adjustment and the board of appeals, shift some quasi-judicial duties to a contracted hearing examiner, and keep planning-commission policy functions in place. Plant said the change would reduce reliance on volunteer boards and quorum issues but would trade those administrative burdens for a professional, hourly contract (he estimated ballpark rates in the $220–$230 per hour range and said routine conditional-use matters could total several hundred dollars depending on complexity).

Public comment included resident Steve Green, who said stump treatment after a city tree removal on West Broadway appeared to have killed other trees and asked what the city would do to address dead street trees; the mayor invited Green and his spouse to meet with code enforcement and city staff to find a resolution. A local reporter, Roger, noted he was covering a separate county meeting about decisions on incoming Google funding and said he will have knee surgery in December.

Votes at a glance: the council voted (ayes recorded aloud) to excuse two absent members (Lauren Meggar and Ellie Casey), approved the agenda and consent agenda, and later voted to adjourn. The meeting included several questions and follow-ups but no ordinance was adopted at this session; the hearing-examiner draft will return for further discussion.

The council scheduled public hearings on the budget and property tax levy at the next meeting, and staff noted a FEMA-related ordinance will be required to adopt an updated flood map per state rules. Council members also encouraged voter turnout for the upcoming election and discussed continued public outreach for the comprehensive parks plan.