Washougal
City council passes $48 million budget
The Washougal City Council unanimously passed its 2016 budget Monday.
The $48 million spending plan includes money for a new police officer and several infrastructure and planning projects.
Councilor Dave Shoemaker made a number of “good-conscience” amendments at the Nov. 9 council meeting; none passed.
The council also voted to increase property taxes by 0.25 percent and approved an EMS levy increase of 1 percent.
It also voted to annex 190 acres of land on the northwest edge of the city.
Vancouver
Protestors target local charity over politics
Protesters who object to some of the causes backed by the private M.J. Murdock Charitable Trust rallied Tuesday in front of the group’s downtown Vancouver office.
The Seattle-based Northwest Accountability Project, which says it’s “dedicated to shining a light on right-wing extremism and the moneyed special interests behind it,” sponsored the protest.
Based in Vancouver’s Murdock Plaza building, the trust is one of the state’s largest charitable organizations. It supports Christian as well as secular organizations, as per the wishes of its founder, the late M.J. “Jack” Murdock.
La Center
2016 budget hearing set for tonight
La Center is proposing a $7.7 million budget for 2016, a slight increase in spending despite lower tax revenues.
“This budget provides a reasonable approach to sustaining services even with declining revenues,” Mayor Jim Irish wrote.
Spending in 2015 was estimated at just short of $6 million.
The rise is driven by about $1.2 million in capital expenditures, such as the grant-funded roundabout at Fourth Street and Pacific Highway. The budget also has a slight uptick in the general fund, which is largely financed by the city’s gambling taxes. Those revenues have fallen in the past several years.
A public hearing on the budget is set for 7 p.m. today at La Center City Hall, 214 E. Fourth St.
