Washougal Development News

City Council Reviews 2026 Supplemental Budget Amendments, Discusses Fund Transfers and Grant Funding

The City Council held a workshop to discuss proposed updates to the 2026 supplemental budget. The discussion focused on supply and contractual amendments, including the purchase of a TrueNARC narcotics detection device funded by a federal grant, police ammunition, and a police vehicle. The council also discussed reappropriating funds for the Parks Board's discretionary spending, a carried-forward contract for Dow, a civic brand strategy PSA, extending the Small Business Education and Networking Pilot Program, and addressing late billings from the county. Several stormwater-related amendments were presented, including the Stormwater Enhancement Maintenance Plan and stormwater permit compliance. The council engaged in a detailed discussion regarding the legality and impact of moving appropriations between different budget funds, specifically from police payroll to vehicle acquisition, clarifying that budget adoption occurs at the fund level, allowing for such transfers via budget amendment ordinances. The meeting also touched upon hotel motel tax fund expenditures approved by the Lodging Tax Advisory Committee (LTAC), with a follow-up planned for a specific CAMAS funding query. Finally, a summary of total revenue increases and expenditure increases for the supplemental budget was presented, with a note that capital project amendments would be deferred to a later meeting.