Pasco council decides proposed budget cuts too severe, adds back some programs
The Pasco City Council pushed back on initial budget-cutting proposals that would have eliminated several police department programs, including one that helps domestic violence victims and a new traffic safety unit.
Last week, the council was given a list of city projects and programs that could be cut to balance its 2025-26 biennial budget.
City officials have proposed all departments tighten their spending next year.
All the cuts will keep the city of 82,500 people from dipping too far into its reserves in the coming years.
Pasco City Manager Adam Lincoln told the council this week that the city is prepared to spend up to $10 million in reserves over the next two years as needed.
The Government Finance Officers Association recommends cities maintain a minimum reserve level equal to two months of operating expenses. That would be about $13 million for Pasco.
Information provided to the council shows Pasco expected to have $19.1 million at the end of 2026 if all the cuts proposed last week are enacted.
The ending fund balance estimate does not include the changes the council wanted made this week, including plans for the Pasco Police Department to create a dedicated traffic unit. That’s still on the table.
The council must approve its budget before the end of the year. It has two regular meetings scheduled in December. The next meeting is Dec. 2.
Budget changes so far
This week, the council decided to keep about $355,000 in biennial expenses for various programs, initially proposed as possible cuts.
Two non-police programs the council asked to add back into the budget were:
- Downtown cleanup program - $240,000
- Park gate closing service at Chiawana Park - $15,000
The council also agreed they wanted to fund the following police department programs:
- Domestic violence advocacy program - $40,000
- Abandoned RV impound program - $20,000
- Citizen’s Academy (one per year) - $40,000
But the police department still faces other cuts. It will close two district stations (Kurtzman and Alderwood), delay adding a Special Victims Unit detective, reduce support of federal task force participation such as the FBI and DEA, reduce office lobby hours for the public and close the lobby on Fridays.
Police traffic unit
A proposed dedicated traffic unit — the program ranked as having the highest priority for funding by police officials — received the most attention and deliberation during the budget discussion. If funded fully, it would cost $1.8 million.
The council generally supported creating a traffic unit, but was searching for ways to reduce the overall cost.
The proposal, presented by Chief Ken Roske, included a phased hiring plan that would add five new staff members for the unit. He would like to immediately hire a sergeant next year, then hire two officers in late 2025 and two more officers in late 2026.
For the 2025-26 biennium, the costs for the traffic unit would include:
- Vehicle - $145,000
- Equipment, uniforms and hiring - $110,000
- Immediately hire a sergeant - $400,000
- Two officers in late 2025 - $585,000
- Two officers in late 2026 - $600,000
The ongoing cost for the traffic unit is expected to be $2 million to $2.2 million per biennium after 2026.
Many council members were in favor of more enforcement and improved traffic safety throughout Pasco, but said they would like to see a “middle-of-the-road” proposal. Some suggested reducing the total cost to $1 million, which would further delay hiring more officers.
No specific decision was reached on the traffic unit. The topic is likely to be discussed again before the budget is approved.
Ideas for more revenue
Some members of the council also have said the city should study whether a property or sales tax increase is needed in Pasco.
Sales and property tax revenue in Pasco lags behind Kennewick and Richland, even though the city’s population is likely to exceed Kennewick in the next year.
“There’s a need to come up with a revenue offset that doesn’t require us to spend the reserves to zero over time, so that has to be achieved either through cuts or tax increases,” Lincoln told the council during this week’s discussion.
Lincoln later told the Herald that if the council is interested in making changes, city officials would most likely suggest asking voters for a levy lid increase on property taxes or adding a car tab fee, rather than increasing the sales tax. Of the Tri-Cities, Pasco currently has the highest sales tax rate at 8.9%.
Other options for the council’s consideration include establishing a Transportation Benefit District, Metropolitan Park District or Emergency Medical Services (EMS) levy.
▪ Also Monday, the council approved a bid for a construction contract for the first phase of the Martin Luther King Jr. Community Center project.
Kennewick-based Booth and Sons Construction was awarded the $2.8 million project.
This story was originally published November 27, 2024 at 5:00 AM.
