Richland City Council Workshop Meeting

At the September 23, 2026 Richland City Council workshop, staff presented the preliminary 2027 budget. The citywide budget was described as increasing about 3.8% from 2026, with projected revenue up 2.4%; the General Fund is approximately $86 million, up 3.1%. Proposed capital and purchasing items included about $3 million for police-station design ahead of construction planned for 2028, vehicle and equipment replacements, street and park projects, and technology purchases; staff cited an estimated $300,000 for upcoming servers compared with about $75,000 one or two years earlier. The budget includes roughly 4.9 new FTEs, reduced from 11.9 requested. About $1.2 million of a public-safety grant is programmed for police-related initiatives in 2027. Several projects were recommended for lodging-tax funding but remained subject to later council consideration. No budget adoption or procurement award vote was reported. The meeting’s opening recap also referenced authorization to apply for a low-interest state loan for wastewater lift-station rehabilitation and replacement.

Council also discussed the Tri-Cities animal-control and sheltering arrangement, whose interlocal agreement expires at the end of 2027. Members sought more information on service levels, costs, responsiveness, liability, and alternatives, including a hybrid model involving a nonprofit partner; the general direction was to explore that option and develop cost comparisons, not to make a final decision. Staff agreed a rough-order-of-magnitude estimate could be prepared for a standalone Richland operation. No contract award or final operating-model decision was made.