Waitsburg Council hear year-end reports

Waitsburg City Council met for the first meeting of the year on January 21, 2026. Council members Jennifer Bishop, Kevin House, and Brian Richards, Mayor Marty Dunn, and City Administrator Randy Hinchliffe met at City Hall. Jim Romine and Jillian Henze were in Olympia, Wash., for City Action Days, a conference hosted by the Association of Washington Cities. Romaine joined the meeting in progress via Zoom.

After approving the minutes from the December meeting, the council heard year-end reports from the Walla Walla Sheriff’s Office, Weller Public Library, and Waitsburg Parks and Recreation.

Sheriff Mark Crider told the council that the county’s contract with sheriff deputies will be renegotiated this year. Once the contract is approved, the sheriff’s office will need to adjust the cost or hours in the Waitsburg contract to cover the wage increase.

Crider said the office has lost several deputies who left for better-paying jobs. There have been new hires who will finish the police academy in Pasco by summer and be on the road by the end of the year.

Library Director Sarah Roberts gave the year-end report for the Weller Library. She said that circulation for the library had only a marginal increase, but that circulation through the Washington Everything Library increased by 50%.

Roberts said the library continued programs supporting students and schools, including Burk Boxes, and Level Up at the Library summer reading. The library added Art in the Library, funded by ArtWalla, and tabletop role-playing games, funded by a state grant. A custom-designed stained-glass window was installed at the library, funded by the Friends of the Library, the Gagnon family, and the Rebecca Wilson family.

Wendy Carter presented the Waitsburg Parks and Recreation report, covering activities including the Celebration Fun Run, summer camp series, and changes to the dog park.

She said the summer camp series was the biggest highlight last year. The first summer camp was a cheer camp held in 2024. Last year, they added baton, skateboarding, fly fishing, volleyball, soccer, and pickleball camps. She gave credit to the volunteers who made the experience possible.

Carter said she felt the Parks and Rec levy did not pass because of voter confusion and misinformation. She said the Parks and Rec commissioners will use the experience to improve public engagement for the next levy proposal.

The board passed Resolution 2026-797 ratifying the 2026 payroll budget.

The board passed Resolution 2026-798. The resolution reclassifies the Public Works Director position from non-exempt to exempt. The current director, Jim Lynch, is planning to retire within a few years. This change is part of the transition plan to give staff members time to gain experience, training, and certifications to replace Lynch.

The board approved Kirby Brown to join Chair Karen Gregutt, Trisha Knee, Rebecca Wilson, and Jim Strawn on the Planning Commission.

The council elected House to continue as Mayor Pro Tem. While in Olympia, Romine said he spoke with State Senator Perry Dozier and State Representative Skyler Rude about the Preston Street bridge. He said there is not state money to replace the bridge; however, the legislators thought the city might be able to get money for repairs.

Hinchliffe said that the Washington Department of Transportation will not work on the bridge until the city does work upstream. The city does not have the authority to do that work. He has been reaching out to the real estate side of the D.O.T. to see if the city could purchase the property above and below the bridge, allowing the city to clear, clean, and maintain that portion of the river.

Romine said that Rude offered to write a “scathing” letter to the D.O.T. to urge it to scour around the bridge as they had promised.

Hinchliffe said the ice rink has been busy. Representatives visited from Enterprise, Ore., and a school from Milton-Freewater is coming out for a field trip. The rink will be open through February.

The next meeting will be on February 18, 2026, at 7 p.m. at City Hall.