The City of Battle Ground is poised to add several new full-time employees if the proposed 2025 budget is approved in December as presented.
During a Wednesday, Oct. 9, City Council meeting, Finance Director Meagan Lowery presented a preliminary 2025 budget, which remains subject to change until the final version is adopted later this year.
Salaries and employee benefits make up $16,012,524, or 19.4% of the budget, a notable increase driven by the city’s plan to hire five new full-time staff members. Last year, Battle Ground allocated $15,004,274 (17.4% of the budget) for city employees.
Full-time employee requests
City staff recommended hiring a police support specialist with a salary of $72,000 a year, effective in January. This position would assist with body camera management, following the Battle Ground Police Department’s implementation of body cameras on Oct. 7.
Another key recommendation is hiring a court coordinator, with a $77,000 annual salary. This position would be shared with Ridgefield and La Center, which also use Battle Ground's courtroom for Community Court, and both of which pay for the costs of their proceedings. Currently, Battle Ground handles 71% of the court case filings for the courtroom. Lowery noted that city staff are often moved from other duties to cover court days, highlighting the need for additional staff.
A portion of the court coordinator's salary may also be funded through opioid settlement funds. These funds are part of a settlement between Washington state and companies accused of contributing to the opioid crisis. Like many other local governments, Battle Ground signed on to the settlement.
“The plan is to use opioid funds to assist with offsetting the cost of that position … so we have the opioid settlement dollars available to help with drug abatement essentially or the cause and the fallout of opioids, and Community Court is one of those items that we'd be able to use it for,” Lowery said.
Since the October 2022 settlement, Battle Ground has received nearly $198,000 and expects about $33,000 annually from the settlement. The city may earn around $800,000 over a 17-year period. Lowery indicated that the exact amount available for the 2025 budget would be confirmed before the final approval in January.
Deputy City Manager Rob Ferrier added that court case numbers are trending upward, with more than 2,700 cases filed in the first nine months of 2024 — a 50% increase over 2023. The previous record, set in 2019 before the COVID-19 pandemic, was 2,784 cases.
“Typically when you look at the numbers … we’re trending to be where we were pre-COVID, easily,” Ferrier said.
GIS specialist and other roles
The city is also considering hiring a geographic information system (GIS) specialist, responsible for mapping work project locations. Lowery explained that the city currently contracts these services through Clark County, but the county is stepping back from offering them.
Ferrier highlighted the importance of the position, noting that it would streamline the city's planning and permitting processes. GIS mapping is essential for securing grants for capital projects like road, park, water and sewer improvements.
“A lot of the granting agencies [including the] Department of Health, the Department of Ecology who are in charge of water and sewer, they're starting to get more and more strict about making sure you have all your assets mapped,” Ferrier said.
Additionally, two temporary positions, a civil engineer ($121,000 salary) and an engineering technician ($93,000 salary), would be converted to permanent roles. These positions are currently set to expire in October 2025.
General preliminary budget
The proposed budget outlined $82,388,736 in expenditures, with the largest portion of $22,581,704 (27.4%) allocated for capital projects. The 2025 budget includes $82,391,823 in available resources. The 2024 budget included $85,199,348 in both resources and expenditures, meaning the city will spend around $3 million less on projects. The 2024 budget included $76,785,902 in revenue with $15,531,542 earned in taxes. The 2025 preliminary budget includes $74,497,650 in revenue with $15,601,628 from taxes. The total 2025 preliminary budget drew approximately $1.5 million less from the appropriation fund balance compared with the 2024 budget, which took just over $2 million.
Upcoming budget hearings
A study session on the 2025 budget is scheduled for 6 p.m. on Monday, Oct. 21, at City Hall. Three public hearings will follow:
Each hearing will take place at 7 p.m. at City Hall, 109 SW First St., second floor, Battle Ground. The City Council is set to approve a final budget in its Dec. 2 meeting. The preliminary budget can be viewed online at youtube.com/live/BEjP9njXf7E?feature=shared.
