City Council Work Session 11-12-2026

The Wenatchee City Council’s November 12, 2026 meeting included several infrastructure and funding decisions. Council adopted the Wenatchee Safe Streets for All Action Plan, which identifies priority locations and countermeasures to reduce serious and fatal crashes; staff said they expect to pursue grants for projects through WSDOT, TIB, and other sources. Council also authorized the City Administrator to sign a Department of Commerce Connecting Housing to Infrastructure Program grant agreement for the Ider Easy Street Apartments Phase One sewer extension. The project will extend sewer service to a development with 36 multifamily units, with the remaining extension costs to be covered by the developer and no City match. Council adopted Ordinance 2026-18 authorizing a 1% increase in the regular property tax levy for 2027, an increase of $52,614.

Staff presented a proposed water-rate strategy, including 10.5% increases over two years to support infrastructure needs such as a replacement Okanogan reservoir; estimates discussed were $62.5 million currently and as much as $97.3 million in ten years. No water-rate action was taken at this meeting. The 2027 budget discussion noted planned street projects, capital-project cost risks, and the use of reserves as a potential backstop for overruns. The mayor also highlighted the Confluence Parkway project: the presentation cited $92 million in federal and $85 million in state funding already secured for Phase One, while additional funding is needed for Phase Two, including the Wenatchee River bridge. A guaranteed maximum price of approximately $43–45 million for a museum project was mentioned in council reports, without further procurement action recorded.