City Council Meeting 10-8-2026

The Wenatchee City Council’s October 8, 2026 regular meeting included procurement- and budget-related actions. Council approved an intergovernmental and interagency cooperative agreement for community wildfire risk reduction, vegetation management, and restoration, authorizing the city administrator to sign. The work will coordinate city-owned-land fuel reduction and restoration with regional partners; prescribed burning has shifted from fall to spring. Council also adopted Ordinance 2026-17, amending the 2026 budget, with the largest adjustments related to the jail contract. The county commissioner reported that Wenatchee had signed its regional justice center contract for the coming year. Separately, the city administrator reported receipt of a $5.75 million Public Works Board construction loan for a utilities garage at the Public Services Center, at 2.31% interest over 20 years, to be repaid through utility funds.

The finance director presented the preliminary 2027 budget, which includes about $660,000 for street projects near the Widener facility and uses one-time revenues for some capital work; the street overlay fund remains about $2 million underfunded. The city’s preliminary general-fund budget shows a projected $1.2 million deficit, though staff said actual results may be closer to break-even. Wenatchee School District representatives separately presented a proposed $275 million bond for a new high school and HVAC upgrades at seven schools, including an estimated $83 million in state matching funds; the bond was proposed for the November ballot and was not a city council spending action. No other contract award or vendor selection was identified.