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Goldendale council ratifies municipal employees contract and adopts revised salary schedule
Summary
The Goldendale City Council ratified a collective bargaining agreement with municipal employees and approved an ordinance incorporating the new salary schedule into the 2024 budget, after questions about a roughly $168,000 annual impact and the split of administrator and public-works roles.
The Goldendale City Council voted to ratify a collective bargaining agreement with Local 1533 municipal employees and approved an ordinance revising the city’s 2024 salary schedule to reflect the contract.
Tony (on the line), who assisted with negotiations, told the council the bargaining unit had ratified the agreement and asked the council to authorize the mayor to sign the contract. Council members then moved and voted to authorize the mayor to execute the agreement covering Jan. 1, 2024, through Dec. 31, 2025; the ratification was announced as unanimous.
Why it matters: The council also adopted an ordinance to incorporate the negotiated pay changes into the citywide salary grid used for nonunion positions. Council members said the change separates the previously combined city administrator and public works director roles and estimated the split would increase annual wages by about $168,000. At least one council member asked for a fuller budget package showing where the additional funds would come from before approving long-term changes.
Council discussion centered on transparency and budgeting. Sandy, the city administrator, and Jen, the city’s accountant on the line, said the salary change had been factored into this year’s budget and that utility funds would take the largest share of the increase. Jen said on the record that “the budget definitely has capacity for this year and moving forward,” and noted potential future utility-rate actions that could redistribute funding pressure.
Councilmember Lauren Baker and others asked for additional documentation, including the AWC salary survey comparisons and clearer job descriptions for the split positions, before future hiring for the separate city-administrator and public-works-director roles. The council discussed waiving a second reading of the ordinance; the motion to approve and waive the second reading passed, with one council member recorded as opposing.
What’s next: The contract will be signed by the mayor and the revised pay grid has been incorporated into the city’s 2024 budget; council members asked staff to provide more detailed budget and job-description information as the city moves to fill or advertise the newly distinct positions.
