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Goldendale council adopts 2026 budget, approves consultant contract and moves on airport fees
Summary
The Goldendale City Council adopted Ordinance 1549 to set the 2026 budget, authorized a professional services agreement with Fawcett Northwest to update the city—s critical areas ordinance (not to exceed $20,509), and approved airport fee changes while flagging a drafting question in the ordinance's section references.
The Goldendale City Council adopted the city—s 2026 fiscal-year budget and authorized a consultant agreement to update the city—s critical areas ordinance at its regular meeting.
At the second reading, the council unanimously adopted Ordinance 1549, which formally establishes the 2026 budget. Mayor (name not specified) called for the vote after council members confirmed there had been no changes since the first reading.
The council also voted to authorize the mayor to execute a professional services agreement with Fawcett Northwest to assist the city in updating its critical areas ordinance. The contract terms included in the meeting packet show an effective period from 12/01/2025 through 12/31/2026 and a maximum compensation not to exceed $20,509. Council members asked staff about Exhibit A—s references to WDFW data and tree-height information used for shoreline and vegetation screening buffers; city staff said they would follow up with mapping, provide additional detail by email and meet with county planner and Department of Commerce representatives for coordination.
On airport policy, the council reviewed Ordinance 1550 to establish rates and charges for Goldendale Municipal Airport. Council members noted inconsistent or missing section references in the draft (references to a "section 4" and a lacking section 3 in the packet). The council adopted the ordinance by voice vote after a motion that allowed staff and the city attorney to either correct minor drafting errors administratively or return the ordinance for a future meeting if a substantive section was missing.
The actions were procedural and administrative; none of the adopted items included language that the council said would change local services immediately or impose new taxes. Council members asked for clarifying materials—mapping for the critical-areas update and a corrected ordinance text for the airport fees—before work proceeds or the contract is finalized.
Votes at a glance: the council approved the 2026 budget (Ordinance 1549), authorized the Fawcett Northwest contract (not to exceed $20,509), and advanced Ordinance 1550 on airport fees with the administrative-clarification caveat. The council recorded the votes by voice; roll-call details were not read aloud for every item.
