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Commissioners approve $300,000 Mill Creek Flood Control assessment for 2026
Summary
Acting as Mill Creek Flood Control supervisors, the Walla Walla County commissioners adopted a $300,000 2026 assessment (motion passed 3-0), noting capital needs and ongoing CAP205 projects; engineer said full channel needs would cost far more if addressed at once.
Acting as the Mill Creek Flood Control Zone District supervisors, the Walla Walla County commissioners adopted the 2026 assessment at their Nov. 3 meeting, voting 3‑0 to set the district assessment at $300,000 — the same annual figure used in recent years.
Joel Dickerson, the district engineer, summarized a list of known channel projects and said that if the county were to complete every item as scheduled it would require roughly $4.45 million annually; the $300,000 assessment is intended to fund routine maintenance, administration and contributions to prioritized capital work, including the CAP205 project. “We have a lot of needs for the channel, and we’re not able to fund them all fully, but we can chip away at priority projects,” Dickerson said.
Commissioners noted the amount matches prior years and discussed the district’s fund balance and the impact of major projects such as the CAP205 improvements on future reserves. Commissioner Clayton asked how many parcels the assessment covers; Dickerson said the district includes much of the city limits and likely thousands of parcels across Walla Walla and College Place.
No members of the public testified during the hearing. After discussion, Acting Supervisor Clayton moved to approve the 2026 assessment and Commissioner Kimball seconded; the motion passed unanimously.
What happens next: The assessment will be implemented for 2026 and funds applied to routine maintenance and the district’s capital program; county staff and the engineer recommended discussing indexing future assessments to inflation to reflect rising construction costs.
Sources: Mill Creek Flood Control presentation and public hearing at the Nov. 3 Walla Walla County commissioners meeting.
