Othello approves $29M budget for 2026
CHERYL SCHWEIZER | Hagadone News Network | UPDATED 8 months, 2 weeks AGO
Senior Reporter Cheryl Schweizer is a journalist with more than 30 years of experience serving small communities in the Pacific Northwest. She began her post-high-school education at Treasure Valley Community College and enerned her journalism degree at Oregon State University. After working for multiple publications, she has settled down at the Columbia Basin Herald and has been a staple of the newsroom for more than a decade. Schweizer’s dedication to her communities and profession has earned her the nickname “The Baroness of Bylines.” She covers a variety of beats including health, business and various municipalities. | December 23, 2025 6:14 PM
OTHELLO — The city of Othello is projected to spend about $10.1 million from its general fund in 2026, the biggest part of a $29 million overall budget. Council members approved the 2026 budget earlier this month, and City Finance Director Spencer Williams said budget planning started in late summer.
“We’ve passed a budget that meets the goals, the projects and the wishes of the council,” Williams said. “It looks at the current operational needs of the city, and we also include capital purchases that are looking toward the future needs of the city.”
The budget passed on a unanimous vote with no discussion. It had been the subject of extensive — and sometimes contentious — discussions for about two months.
The city’s general fund includes a lot of city operations and salaries, such as the Othello Police Department, and at least for now, money to start a new municipal fire department The city has a contract with Adams County Fire District 5 that’s scheduled to expire in May 2026, but incoming mayor Ken Johnson said he supports reexamining the decision to end the contract.
City officials budgeted money for chip-sealing sections of city streets, completing a splash pad in Kiwanis Park, fixing the heating-cooling system in Othello City Hall and repairing water and sewer lines.
Othello has been working for about a decade on a project to treat and use water from irrigation canals near the city to supplement the existing water supply. The 2026 budget includes money to start designing the water treatment facility.
The water and sewer funds are paid for through the fees charged, and are the city’s biggest expenditures after the general fund. The water utility fund is budgeted at about $5.8 million and the sewer fund at about $3.8 million. The solid waste fund is projected to spend about $2.3 million.
Othello has received grants, which will be used to pay part of the cost of a regional water plan and water conservation plan. The grants will be supplemented with city reserves. A mix of grants and city reserves will be used to pay for upgraded basketball courts with lights at Kiwanis Park. Upgrades are planned for the parking lot at Taggares Park and the bathrooms at Pioneer Park.
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