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Department heads outline 2025 accomplishments and 2026 priorities at West Yellowstone work session
Summary
At a pre-meeting work session department heads from public works, finance, police, dispatch, building, social services and recreation summarized 2025 accomplishments—major grants, event activity, hires, and construction progress—and flagged 2026 priorities such as wastewater plant completion, housing projects and digital records.
At a Jan. 20 work session preceding the council meeting, West Yellowstone department heads delivered year-in-review presentations covering accomplishments and priorities for 2026.
Highlights included: Liz Ruth's summary of legislative actions and town governance (26 meetings, 19 resolutions, zoning updates, and establishment of a housing-project special revenue fund); public-works and utilities reporting on increased water/wastewater production, sample-testing compliance, and the wastewater treatment plant construction; recreation coordinator Rachel Spence's introduction and early program successes (youth basketball and plans for fitness classes and a master plan for the Boba Center); dispatch and 911 staffing and technology updates from Brenda; social-services programming, donations and mental-health initiatives from Diana; police department staffing, new body-worn and in-car camera deployments and training initiatives from Interim Chief White; and building/code enforcement and encroachment work from the building official.
Financial staff reported resort-tax collections exceeding $8 million for the calendar year, $3.5 million in grants closed in 2025 with $500,000 pending, and loan draw activity on the wastewater financing. Department heads also flagged staffing needs, equipment and vehicle requests, and planned capital and beautification projects for 2026 (tree grates, sidewalks, police station remodel, and cemetery expansion work).
Manager Dan Walker closed the session stressing the value of annual presentations for council oversight and encouraged the council to set priorities for the coming year. The work session then transitioned into the regular council meeting with the evening agenda.
