City Council Study Session - Zoom Meeting

At a City Council budget study session for Shelton, Washington, on August 26, 2026, staff presented proposed 2027 departmental needs and procurement-related items; no budget approval or spending vote is evident in the transcript. Community Development requested a part-time permit technician/building-inspection capacity and permitting software improvements, for which the department applied to the Washington State Department of Commerce for a $165,000 grant. Parks and Recreation discussed a $30,000 consultant study to establish park impact fees, a tractor now estimated at about $55,000 compared with a prior $30,000 budget, and Callan Park bleacher work initially estimated at $6,000. Staff also discussed using developer impact fees for future community park improvements and the need for grants or other funding for park capital projects.

Other requests included replacing the city’s Nutanix server cluster before its maintenance ends in March 2027 (cost not stated), IT support and wireless access-point needs, and an audiovisual upgrade for council chambers with a quote exceeding $70,000 that staff had held back. The Police Department cited an estimated $93,000 for a records clerk and a 12.8% increase in records-software subscription costs. Court security was proposed at up to $30,000, and the judge pro tem budget would increase by $4,000. Public Works discussed an internal construction project manager to reduce reliance on outside construction management, along with street maintenance and paving work, including a county partnership that paved 12 blocks for just under $150,000. Council members asked for clearer grant-eligibility information and more conservative prioritization of ongoing staffing costs; staff planned to refine the proposals for the preliminary budget. Potential park-district levy options and a 2027 fire annexation ballot measure were discussed, but no related decision was made.