Parks, pets and police: Othello council approves $19.5 million 2022 budget

OTHELLO — Othello City Council members on Dec. 13 approved a $19.5 million budget for 2022.

Othello Mayor Shawn Logan said the budget reflects major upgrades to Lions Park next year, as well as a continuing project to reuse water and recharge the city’s aquifer. The budget also includes work on some Othello streets, but Logan said council members are still discussing the specifics, with a decision on which streets get work made early next year.

City officials also plan to build a pedestrian crosswalk on South 14th Avenue at Wahitis Elementary School, Logan said.

The upgrades at Lions Park will include replacing the existing playground and replacing two basketball courts and adding two more. Lions Park also is home to the Othello Community Pool, the city’s skatepark, the baseball field complex and the municipal tennis courts. Logan said the goal is to make the park a recreation destination.

The city received $500,000 in grants from the state’s Land and Water Conservation Fund and the Washington Wildlife and Recreation Program for the playground. The project received some local donations, as well.

City officials are working on the details of the design, Logan said. The new playground will be about 7,000 square feet and will include separate areas for children 5 and younger and kids 5 to 12. It will include improved access for children with physical disabilities.

The city received a $350,000 grant from the state Youth Activities Facilities program to pay most of the cost for the new and upgraded basketball courts. Total project cost for the new courts is about $467,000.

The water reuse project is in its second phase, with a report on results of the pilot project due in fall 2022. The project pumps water from an East Columbia Irrigation District canal near a city well, treats it, and injects it into the city’s aquifer. If the water stays put, the next phase will be to scale up the project and look for funding.

The 2022 budget includes about $3.4 million for the Othello Police Department, including allocations for two new police vehicles. And city officials will pay about $51,000 to Adams County Pet Rescue for animal control services.

The city has a contract with Adams County Fire District 5 for fire department services. For 2022, the contract is estimated at about $426,000.

Total general fund expenditures were budgeted at $7.4 million, which includes both the police department and the fire department contract.

The water utility fund, which pays for the city’s water system, was budgeted at $4.1 million. The sewer utility fund pays for the city’s sewer treatment system and was budgeted at $2.9 million.