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Richland council approves budget changes, Teamsters contract and routine consent items
Summary
Council approved a 2026 budget amendment that adds roughly $900,000 in grant revenue and several restricted‑reserve expenditures, unanimously adopted a three‑year collective bargaining agreement with Teamsters Local 839, and passed the consent calendar including $40,825,476.32 in expenditures.
Richland’s City Council voted unanimously on Tuesday to adopt several routine and substantive items, including a budget amendment, a successor collective bargaining agreement for dispatchers, and the consent calendar.
The budget: Finance Director Allen presented Ordinance 2026‑04, the city’s first budget adjustment of the year. The package is just over $1 million in net adjustments and is anchored by a $900,000 grant from the Washington State Department of Commerce to support master planning at the Richland Innovation Center and associated clean‑energy park areas. Other adjustments included roughly $30,000 in restricted reserves for police forensic‑lab server and concealed‑pistol storage, $45,000 to upgrade broadcasting equipment for closed‑captioning, $56,000 in tenant improvements for fire personnel space near Station 71, and a $100,000 fund transfer moving a neighborhood traffic safety program from parks construction to streets maintenance. Allen emphasized that the bulk of the movement uses restricted fund balances that are only available for their stated purposes.
The union contract: Human Resources Director Paulson recommended adoption of Resolution 2026‑25 to approve a three‑year collective bargaining agreement with Teamsters Local 839 representing approximately 32 emergency communications dispatchers. Key contract terms: a 4% cost‑of‑living increase for 2026 (retroactive to Jan. 1), 3.5% in 2027 and 3% in 2028; an increase in union release time from 150 to 200 hours; an on‑call stipend increase for six positions from $60 to $100 for each 12‑hour on‑call period; increased bilingual pay (from $1,000 to $1,500 annually for qualifying employees) and modest longevity adjustments; and an MOU that provides double time for overtime in excess of 28 hours in a two‑week pay period to address staffing shortages. Paulson said the agreement is consistent with council parameters and was ratified by the union membership on Jan. 29.
Consent and other approvals: The consent calendar passed by roll call and included routine approvals and several procurement actions: an award to Palouse Power LLC for boring and cable replacement, an award to Big D's Construction of Tri Cities Inc. for City View Drive and Truman Avenue build‑out, and grant applications to the Washington State Department of Transportation freight programs; the council also approved expenditures totaling $40,825,476.32 for the period 01/01/2026–01/31/2026.
Votes at the meeting were unanimous on these items. Council did not defer any of the consent items to separate discussion.
What’s next: The ordinance and resolutions take effect per the city's normal administrative timeline. The Teamsters contract runs through Dec. 31, 2028; any implementation or operational impacts will be addressed by relevant departments.
