10/28/2026 - City Council Regular Meeting

At the October 28, 2026, regular meeting of the Sunnyside City Council, members approved several public-safety and infrastructure expenditures and funding steps. The council authorized $23,012.58 in repairs to the city’s ladder truck by True North Equipment, approved an application for the Washington State Department of Natural Resources surplus-engine grant (with no application cost and an estimated $10,000 in outfitting costs if awarded), and authorized a $28,501 interlocal agreement for management of the Yakima Valley Local Crime Lab. It also approved a three-year extension of the city’s Axon agreement: the police chief described a first-year cost of about $79,000 after equipment credits and subsequent annual costs of about $127,664.33, compared with current annual costs of $126,958. The extension would add dash cameras for the remaining fleet and virtual-reality training, upgrade Tasers, and remove unused body cameras from the arrangement. The council also approved submitting a Department of Health DWSRF funding application for the Well No. 14 equipping project; staff cited construction costs of roughly $2.6–$2.7 million.

A financial consultant reported that a conventional roll-forward 2027 general-fund budget would be about $1.88 million out of balance, and recommended a legally balanced stopgap budget followed by further review. The council approved setting November 12 for preliminary budget and revenue hearings and December 2 for the final budget hearing; it did not adopt the 2027 budget at this meeting. Staff also reported plans to purchase a surplus emergency-management trailer for $3,000 from enterprise funds, and announced that an RFP for the 2027 paper of record would be issued the following week. Separately, the council renewed an emergency moratorium on applications for certain essential public facilities while the city develops appropriate siting and review standards.