YAKIMA, Wash. – The City of Yakima is reaching out to its residents for input on budget priorities through a newly opened survey, available until mid-April.
Projections indicate that by 2026, Yakima may face a $9 million shortfall in tax revenue needed to maintain essential services such as police, fire, parks, and streets, the city said in a release.
“The City is facing some very difficult budget challenges and the City Council needs help from the community to make tough decisions.” City Manager Vicki Baker said.
The survey asks participants to prioritize core City services and consider supporting property tax increases to preserve them. It also includes a budget reduction exercise, detailing the costs and potential job cuts associated with reducing or eliminating certain services.
Available in both Spanish and English, the survey can be accessed online.
Baker said city staff will be present at various community events over the next month to facilitate survey participation and that she will also present the survey at Town Hall meetings through March and early April.
The next budget town hall meeting will take place on Thursday, April 10 at the Yakima Convention Center starting at 6:30 p.m. The third and final budget town hall will be on Wednesday, April 16 at Davis High School starting at 6:30 p.m.
“We very much want to hear from our community about how we will move ahead together to resolve the budget issues we face today,” Baker said.
