(The Center Square) – The Yakima City Council balanced a $9 million deficit on Tuesday by significantly cutting public safety next year, rejecting last-minute tax proposals that would maintain the status quo.
The officials approved $3 million in cuts last summer, hoping that property owners would fill the rest of the deficit with a $6 million tax hike; however, 51% of voters rejected the idea last month, so now the Yakima Police Department, Yakima Fire Department and Parks & Recreation will face service-level cuts.
The reductions approved Monday include $3 million from YPD, $1.75 million from YFD and $1.4 million from the parks department. City staff offered last-minute proposals that would’ve allowed the officials to increase taxes without voter approval, but the dais ultimately opted to uphold the will of the voters.
“I’ve been listening to Olympia talking. I’ve been listening to the Yakima School Board talking. Everybody wants to raise taxes,” Councilmember Rick Glenn said Tuesday. “We’ve got to draw the line somewhere; we can’t just raise taxes anytime we feel like it, and I think that working within a budget is possible.”
Gov. Bob Ferguson signed the largest state hike in state history earlier this year to fill the Legislature’s deficit as the Democratic majority eyes additional increases in 2026 amid record spending. The Yakima City Council, in contrast, remained hesitant to increase taxes further without improving service levels.
Under Tuesday’s cuts, YPD eliminated funding for about a dozen officers, a sergeant, two analysts and four community service officers. YFD’s reductions will shutter a local fire station after years of debate, though the council directed staff to find alternatives to potentially prevent the closure later on in 2026.
The $1.4 million cut to parks would eliminate general fund support for a community center, a pool and a senior citizen center, impacting up to 31 positions, with 23 of those being seasonal. The decision also reduced the park department’s maintenance budget by 16%, in addition to all the cuts outlined above.
Residents pleaded for weeks with the city for weeks leading up to Tuesday to find alternative means to continue providing general fund support for those park programs and associated staff. The community center, senior center and pool would close without it, so the council approved gap funding on Tuesday.
“Which would give you a one-year opportunity to find a permanent solution,” Mayor Patricia Byers said Tuesday regarding the senior center cuts, “because, remember, we’re filling in with one-time money.”
The 2026 budget includes funding to keep the pool open through February as the local school districts explore independent funding options. The council opted to use about $375,000 in reserves to keep the community center and the senior center open temporarily until the community identifies new funding.
In the end, the council balanced the 2026 budget by ensuring that the roughly $88 million in recurring spending does not exceed recurring revenues; however, the city drew on its reserves for nonrecurring gap funding. The $317 million citywide budget also exceeds total revenues by about $15.7 million, but that shortfall is offset by reserves outside the general fund for one-time capital projects and initiatives.
The council anticipates facing additional budget challenges in the near future and may consider putting another tax proposal on a future ballot. The $6 million property tax hike failed by only about 360 votes last month, so some critics argue there could be appetite among residents with the right campaign.
“Is that the voice of the people?” Beyer said before closing. “When I look at 49% of the people saying we are concerned, we need to do something, we can’t just ignore that … to me, it’s not a mandate.”
