Othello council approves money for Taggeres Park upgrades

OTHELLO — How to allocate the city’s money was the subject of a lengthy discussion by the Othello City Council at its regular meeting Monday. Spencer Williams, the city’s finance officer, said the draft budget that was presented for a public hearing was the result of a long process.  

“We’ve spent the last few months going through our budget,” Williams said. “We’ve put together a budget that conservatively looks at revenues and looks at expenses. We’re looking at the current operational needs of the city, and the future capital projects.” 

Othello has a requirement for a year-end minimum balance in its general fund. Williams said the city had about $444,000 left after the minimum balance requirement was met. Council members have already decided on the fate of a number of requests from various departments.  

The city will continue to work on setting up a municipal fire department at a cost of about $306,000. The fire department has been a subject of discussion in Othello since August 2024, when council members voted against a new contract with Adams County Fire District 5. The current contract ends in May 2026.   

The council will have four new members in 2026 and a new mayor. Mayor-elect Ken Johnson said during the campaign he would support reexamining the decision to end the contract.  

Additional money was approved for the city’s animal shelter, with $100,000 added to the construction fund.  

The city has a contract with Hands ‘n Paws, Moses Lake, for the animals it picks up, which stipulates Hands ‘n Paws eventually owns the animals. The city’s responsibility is a temporary shelter, for which money was allocated in 2024. Council members approved money for additional upgrades at Taggeres Park.  

The city assumed responsibility for the park, eventually annexing the property in 2023. Robin Adolphsen, the public works director, said the estimate for the proposed work on the park exceeded the amount originally budgeted. 

City officials proposed adding parking along Cunningham Road. Adolphsen said city officials asked for a quote on adding curbing in the area being upgraded, which came in at about $100,000. The public works department had asked for $80,000. 

“We want to go and see how much of this parking we can get done with the $80,000,” she said. 

Council member Corey Everett said he would prefer to spend enough money to finish the job.  

“If you’re going to start the job, finish it. I don’t want to get the job three-quarters of the way done,” Everett said.  

The current parking situation doesn’t work with the amount of use the park gets, he said. 

Council member John Lallas said he wants to protect the city’s investment in Taggares Park.  

“That park is looking great right now, and I want to keep it looking great,” Lallas said. 

Council members split their vote on requests from the public works department. The public works department requested a flatbed truck at an estimated cost of $120,000, which drew vehement objection from Everett. 

“You’ve got trucks from the 1980s that aren’t being replaced,” he said. “Why would you spend $120,000 to buy a new truck? It doesn’t make any sense. There is no way I’m voting to spend $120,000 on a new truck when you’re replacing a perfectly good one.” 

Council member Angel Garza said he thought a new truck would be an investment, and that the city had the money. Everett said the city doesn’t have to spend the money, especially since it’s public money.  

“Just because the money’s there doesn’t mean you have to spend it,” he said.  

Lallas said he, too, was skeptical. The city has purchased a lot of public works equipment, but in his opinion, sometimes it would be more cost-effective to rent equipment when needed. 

“We’ve been very generous to public works,” he said. “At some point in time, we’ve either got to be fully equipped to do whatever needs to be done, or we strategize on how we deal with situations when they come up.” 

Council members approved the request, with Lallas and Everett voting against it.