The Hermiston City Council discusses options for closing a $900,000 budget shortfall during a work session Nov. 13, 2023, at city hall. The council at its meeting Jan. 8, 2024, took action to close the gap and add police. 

HERMISTON — The Hermiston City Council at its meeting Monday, Jan. 8, approved three measures to make spending cuts and add funding for three additional officers at the Hermiston Police Department and balance the 2023-24 budget.

The council began reviewing the revenue, spending and projected needs of general fund departments at its regular meetings in June 2023, according to a press release from the city. The city used the sessions to develop cuts and find new revenue sources to cover a $924,000 budget gap.

The city held a town hall meeting and conducted a public survey in November and December to gather community feedback on budget priorities. Public comment and survey results showed a strong desire to add officers to the city police department without putting the full cost on residents. Respondents also prioritized creating stable revenue streams for the city without adding additional residential taxes.

As a result, the city council approved measures that do the following:

• Cut the street maintenance budget and materials and services fund totaling about $490,000 annually.

• Increase the Transient Room Tax on hotels within city limits from 8% to 9% for about $100,000 in additional annual revenue.

• Update planning department fees based on inflation and cost increases for a projected increase of $80,000 annually.

• Create a law enforcement staffing fee of $5 per month on all city utility bills for about $360,000 annually.

The council also voted to table an ordinance that would implement a business license fee, which would be scaled based on the number of employees and location of the business. The council requested more information about how the fee would be calculated for small businesses before moving forward. The fee would be implemented in 2025.

The measures that were approved, plus a $125,000 federal COPS Grant for police funding the city recently received, are projected to nearly cover the budget shortfall while adding three police positions. The council will consider the business license fee at a later meeting.

“The council heard from the community that public safety was important and that fees should be spread across business, residents and visitors,” according to Mayor Dave Drotzmann. “They made small adjustments to reflect those fee changes while still protecting low-income families and we appreciate the input we’ve received since we began this process in June.”