East Wenatchee City Council Roundup: plans 30-acre annexation, approves lodging tax funds, reports 'neutral' finances
The East Wenatchee City Council held its regularly scheduled meeting Tuesday evening at City Hall, discussing project construction, lodging tax requests and upcoming workshops.
A full recording of the meeting is available at eastwenatcheewa.gov/AgendaCenter by downloading from the link.
City financial report
Josh DeLay, the city's finance director, provided a financial report through March 31 and described it as a "neutral report" that is neither particularly positive nor negative for the city.
"It's kind of hard to make a conclusion this early in the year, but the way things are looking I think we're our revenue's going to finish right where we budgeted basically and our expenses probably slightly above where we budgeted," DeLay said.
Expenses are up about 6% from the same time last year, primarily because the city chose to pay its RiverCom 911 contract in a single payment rather than in monthly installments.
The city budgeted $11.05 million in revenue and nearly $10.8 million in expenses in the general fund for 2026.
Outside the scope of the report, DeLay also said the East Wenatchee Police Department recently received a $1.124 million grant through the state's Public Safety Funding Program. The grant will support the hiring of three entry-level police officers.
City to annex 30 acres
The City Council approved a notice of intent to annex nearly 30 acres of Douglas County land into the city, including portions of Highline Drive, Rock Island Road and Highway 28.
The annexation request comes through a direct petition process, meaning property owners representing at least 60% of the assessed value in the proposed area agreed to join the city. It was not immediately clear why residents made the request. The city said property owners representing about 77% of the assessed value supported the annexation.
Douglas County commissioners in 2022 declined to annex about 1,300 residents into the city after a year-and-a-half process, ultimately rejecting an interlocal agreement with the city - an alternative annexation process approved by the state Legislature.
The latest annexation would add 22 residents to the city and generate about $33,000 in property tax revenue and an estimated $885,000 to $955,000 in annual sales tax revenue.
The city and county will share sales tax revenue generated from the annexed area over a five-year period, with the county's share decreasing until the city receives the full amount.
The notice of intent will next go before the Douglas County Boundary Review Board before returning to the City Council for final approval of the annexation ordinance.
Lodging tax requests
The City Council approved three lodging tax requests totaling $30,000 for events scheduled in late May and July.
Like other public entities, the city collects lodging taxes from businesses such as hotels and motels. State law requires the funds to be used for tourism promotion. Public and private organizations may apply for the funding.
Applications are first reviewed by the East Wenatchee Events Board before going to the City Council for final approval.
The approved requests include:
* $10,000 for the Wenatchee 200 racing event May 31 at the Wenatchee Valley Super Oval.
* $10,000 for Elevated Marketing, which is contracted by local municipalities to organize the Wenatchee Fourth of July celebration at Walla Walla Point Park.
* $10,000 for Wenatchee FC Youth Apple Cup soccer tournament. About half of the tournament's soccer fields are located in East Wenatchee.
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