City Of Kalama

Join us for the upcoming City Council meeting on Thursday, November 20th at 7:00pm at 320 N 1st Street, or virtually through Zoom. Virtual attendance information and the meeting agenda packet can be found here: https://www.towncloud.io/go/kalama-wa/agendas/822

Sewer Main Construction: Scheduled for Taylor Rd on November 18th - 21st (Tuesday - Friday) from 7:30am - 3:30pm each day . Upper Taylor Rd residents; please use N 5th St. Construction will be in the 500 - 600 block of Taylor Rd. Thank you for your patience.

What's Next for the Kalama Community Building?
The Kalama Community Building’s annual expenditure is approximately $60K, and its revenues are projected to be $24K (for 2025), so the General Fund is subsidizing about $3K per month to keep the building open/operational. The building is also in need of significant capital repairs. https://5il.co/3b4la The City Council requested an advisory vote because they saw it as the best way to get accurate feedback from the largest sample size of Kalama’s city residents.
City staff have taken advantage of the opportunity to work with a group of students from the University of Washington’s Evans School of Public Policy and Governance to structure a public engagement process in Kalama to identify possible valuable uses for the Community Building. This group has been a wonderful resource with fresh eyes and inclusive ideas. Part of the engagement portion of this project is to provide a survey to the community asking what the majority of the taxpayers would like to see.
The goal is to hear from the public and provide the Council with options that create the highest value for the community on this property.
The City Council ultimately makes this policy decision and staff will gather public feedback in new ways to hear from “the many”, and not solely “the few”. To provide your input, complete the survey: https://www.cityofkalama.com/forms/kalama-community-building-what-next

Look for "in person" engagement opportunities (available in the next few weeks) at the Kalama Library and City Hall facilities. You will be able to bring your ideas and place them on the idea board! Thank you for your participation!

The Kalama Library Board will meet on November 19, 2025 at 5:15pm @ 320 N 1st Street. Agenda information can be found at https://www.towncloud.io/go/kalama-wa.

City Council Meeting 11.06.2025:

A public hearing was held on the 2026 Budget and 2026-2031 Capital Facilities Plan which included:
• a review of the revenue history of the general fund from 2020 to 2025 comparing that to the population and expenditure growth
• review of the recommendations (proposed) for utility rate increases, along with the estimated cost to rate payers - $8.19 per month (usage of 600 cubic feet)
o Water rate increases: 0% inside the City limits, 10% outside residential, and 15% outside commercial/Industrial
o Sewer rate increases: 5% for all users (outside does not have sewer)
o Stormwater rate increases: 5%
• Revenue increase recommendations and comparisons for a 2% or 1% utility tax or a 0.1% transportation benefit district sales tax or a combination of two
• An example of cost per household for tax increases being proposed including the property taxes, public safety sales tax, and a 2% utility tax (equals $5.21 per month)
• Recommendations for Tourism expenditures from the Tourism Committee plus an alternative allocation proposed by Councilmember Stanfill
• Salary Schedule and recommendations for no salary increase for the Mayor and Council from the Salary Commission
• Personnel costs & functions for all departments
• Overtime costs and questions about part-time officers
• The capital projects scheduled for 2026 for streets, water, sewer and stormwater along with funding sources were discussed. A full plan with future years was included in the packet
• A final overview of where the 2026 budget stands with the General Fund including the Library still at a deficit, and the potential outcomes if the revenue recommendations are enacted.

There were many citizens in attendance supporting the library and requesting the Council reconsider closing the Library on Mondays as a budget cut. The Council was sympathetic to their request. The council weighed in on the options, agreeing on the water rates on the outside users being increased based on the study and findings of Waterworth and the implementation of the 5% increase on the stormwater rates, but some were reluctant on the sewer rate increase. Other tax increase proposals were met with resistance with the Council not wanting to add more to the backs of the citizens already being hit with rising costs. They wanted to see more cuts which would include not implementing a cost-of-living increase to non-bargaining employees until mid-year, if at all, not hiring a position in the finance department to cover the staff vacancy, and using flextime or closing one day per week to cut staff costs at city hall. They asked if tourism funds could be used to fund the library as they provide tourist information which will be researched further. The staff strongly recommended the implementation of new revenues, as relying on one-time revenue sources such as construction projects is not sustainable to cover operating costs such as salaries, benefits and other mandated on-going expenses. The hearing was closed, and the discussion will continue at the hearing on November 20, 2025. For more information, please refer to the Council packet at: https://www.towncloud.io/go/kalama-wa/agendas/819

The Council approved the Water System Plan, the application for DWSRF loan funding for the Water Treatment Plant, the Gray & Osborne contract addendum for the Wheeler stormwater work, and the interlocal agreement with Cowlitz County District Court. They accepted 3 projects as complete including the City Hall Renovations, the China Garden Road Improvements and the Old Pacific Highway Sidewalk project. Ordinances related to the property tax levy were tabled to November 20, 2025. Resolution No. 756, which set garbage rates for 2026, was adopted by the Council.

Library Director Elaine Bystrom addressed the Council noting that closing the Library on Mondays will save $416 per month and invited them to tour the Library before the next Council meeting on November 20th. Other reports were brief due to the lateness of the meeting and are included in the Council packet for review.

Kalama City Council 2026 Budget/2026-2031 Capital Facilities Plan Public Hearings @ 7pm on November 6, 2025 & November 20, 2025:
Notice is hereby given that the City of Kalama preliminary budget for 2026 and the 2026 to 2031 Capital Facilities Plan has been filed with the City Clerk. The Kalama City Council will hold the first of two public hearings on the 2026 Budget and Capital Facilities Plan on November 6, 2025, at 7:00 p.m. at 320 N 1st Street, Kalama. The public is encouraged to attend and provide testimony for the final budget. A second public hearing will be held on November 20, 2025 at 7 p.m. The hearings may be continued without further publication by announcing the date, time, and place of the continued hearing at the hearing. Copies of the preliminary Budget and draft Capital Facilities Plan will be available on or before November 20, 2025 at City Hall during regular business hours or on the City website at www.cityofkalama.com. Information for virtual access to the hearings will be available on the City website through https://www.towncloud.io/go/kalama-wa.
Coni McMaster
City of Kalama
Clerk/Treasurer
(360) 673-4561
cityclerk@cityofkalama.com

The Kalama Parks & Recreation Advisory Committee meeting has been scheduled for Monday, November 10th, 2025 at 11am in the City Council Chambers at 320 N 1st Street. The change in schedule is due to the Veteran's Day holiday. Agenda and meeting information can be found here: https://www.towncloud.io/go/kalama-wa

November "Drum 4 Fun" classes are held on Tuesdays & Thursdays from 10am-11am. Cost is $25 for all of November, and you can pay at City Hall, or online: https://tinyurl.com/yydsfh22

Please note class days are as follows:

Tuesdays: Nov 4, 11, & 25
Thursdays: Nov 6th & 13th
Location: 216 Elm Street, Kalama, WA 98625

10/18/2025 @ 3:30pm - Water lines fixed

Our public works crew was able to fix the leak without shutting the water all the way off. There is no boil water notice, and all customers should have regular service.

Thank you public works crew, and thank you residents for your patience!

10/18/2025 @ 12:30pm - Watermain break

Customers on Old Pacific Hwy, South of Stone Forest Drive, to Vincent Rd will likely be affected.

The leak is in the road on Old Pacific Hwy-- drivers please use caution and watch for flaggers.

Expected time for water outage is unknown at this time- crews are actively working to locate and repair waterline(s).

Updates will be posted on the city's website & Facebook pages. Thank you for your patience.

10.16.2025 Council Meeting Recap

The City Council held a workshop to understand how the rate-setting software, Waterworth, utilizes the city’s information to make informed decisions.

Bruce Rader was sworn into Councilmember position #5. Council held a public hearing on revenue needs for 2026. A consultant from Waterworth presented recommendations for increases to water/sewer/stormwater rates. Based on the findings, the current outside water users’ rates are not covering the costs of providing the infrastructure needs and service, so the recommended rate increase for water would be on the outside residential (10%) and outside commercial users (15%) and inside user rates would remain at the 2025 rates. Sewer rate recommendations for consideration range from 5% up to 15% for all users. The stormwater rate increase would be 5% from $8.81 per ERU (Equivalent Residential Unit) to $9.25 per ERU. Most residential customers are charged only 1 ERU for their homes. The full presentation is available here https://www.towncloud.io/go/kalama-wa/agendas/817. Rate comparisons throughout southwest Washington were provided.

The revenue hearing also covered the increase to garbage rates averaging 3% for residential customers which are required under the service contract with Waste Control. Property taxes were reviewed requesting the standard 1% lawful increase. The utility rate example showed a $6 increase for the year on a $550K home where the assessed valuation remains unchanged. The projected levy rate for 2026 is approximately $1.08 per $1K of assessed valuation. Property taxes are split between local and state schools, the County, the Fire District, and several minor taxing districts along with the City’s share, which is about 13% or $600 annually (based on the provided example). This revenue helps pay for 24/7 police coverage, economic development services, code enforcement, library services, parks operations, street operations, criminal legal costs, Council/legislative costs, and the finance/administration operations of the City. City fees and building permit fees were reviewed. The hearing reviewed the needs of the General Fund operations reviewing the revenues which fluctuate based on economic factors, such as building or sales taxes, and those that are more consistent, such as the property and utility taxes or licensing fees. At the request of the Council at the September 30th workshop, staff made added cuts of $72,100 to the budget which includes closing the Community Building, which stops Parks and Recreation classes, and closing the Library on Mondays. The public safety sales tax projected revenues and funds from the reallocation of utility taxes were also included. The proposed additional revenue and cuts are still not sufficient to meet the projected needs of operations in 2026. The Council also needs to include the current costs, and lack of carryover funds for the beginning of 2026. Staff requested the Council reconsider an increase to the utility taxes for the general fund of 2% to produce additional revenues to meet the costs of maintaining services to the community. The Council discussed the needs and focused on additional cuts which could include layoffs of personnel in either the finance or police departments or further reductions to the Library. Councilmembers voiced reluctance to raise taxes for various reasons. The City experiences the financial impact of tax increases, service mandates, and inflation in the same way the ratepayers do. There will be more discussion at the next hearing on November 6th.

Jene McMahon presented the Council with a community art project for the downtown trash can murals. This would involve local artists and organizations in Kalama painting the downtown garbage can lids.

Clerk/Treasurer McMaster discussed the city’s cash flow shortage in the general fund and the Council authorized a budget amendment for a loan of $75K from water reserves which will allow the city to meet the current obligations (payroll and bills). The loan will be paid back at an interest rate of 4.3%. Property taxes will be received in November, but it isn’t clear if it will be enough for transfers that haven’t been made due to the shortfall of funds and repaying the interfund loans. The Council adopted Ordinance 1542 approving the loan and amending the Parks reserve funds for additional costs for the Toteff Park gazebo.

Library Director Bystrom sent a report outlining programs, and emphasized the value the Library provides to the community. In other reports the planning commission continues its work on the Comprehensive Plan update; the Sewer line renovation project continues but may be paused once the rainy weather sets in (to be finished in the spring to avoid poor winter road conditions), the downtown trick-or-treat event will be from 4-6pm on 10/31, and an increase in public records requests in all departments has been seen.

10/9/25 @ 3:15pm: Waterline Break on Taylor Road

A contractor installing fiberoptic line hit a water main on Taylor Rd between 835 and 1051 Taylor Rd. Homes between these addresses may experience a loss of water pressure.

Homes on Waters Watch and Horizon should not be affected.
The city public works crew is on site and evaluating/repairing the damage. Updated information will be added here.

City Council Budget Workshop: 9.30.2025

The City Council workshop focused on the condition of the 2025 General fund and how to approach the budget for 2026. Costs have increased and revenues are not keeping pace, which is occurring in cities across the state. Staff presented the data showing comparisons of the last few years, and the progression of the city’s current financial situation. Wages, insurance, inflation, and utilities lead the expense increases while revenue increases have been limited to the minimal allowances and not meeting needs. The preliminary budget shows all departments in balance except for those connected to the general fund and supported by tax revenues. An outline of the general fund expenditures was also presented by departments for the police, finance, building, planning, and administration showing what percentage is attributed to personnel costs, consultants, and other operating costs. Personnel costs are the highest expense of the city. Staff explained that reserves/savings were used to fund the city hall renovation project, showing this project did not create the current financial deficit. The additions and cuts already included in the preliminary budget were presented, with projected revenues decreasing by $80,641 and expenditures increasing by $16,265 (the result of the revenue and expenditure obligations being netted together). The transfers to support the operations of streets, library and the community building are included at the 2025 level. Capital items have not been included in the budget as funding is not available.

The council discussed budget cuts and revenue options to address a $575,000 deficit in the general fund. Staff presented several cost-saving measures, including staff attrition, deferring loan payments, and reallocation of existing revenues. The council was advised that staff cuts would be detrimental to operations and services. Revenue options presented included a public safety sales tax, utility tax increase, and B&O tax. Staff recommended implementing new revenues rather than making deep cuts to services. The council was asked to provide direction regarding next steps to address the deficit for 2026.

The council considered various options to address the budget gap, including reallocation of funds, cuts to services, and potential tax increases. They agreed to explore reducing overtime costs, limiting FTEs, and looking at creative ways to cut expenses without affecting essential services. The council also discussed a proposed 0.1% sales tax for public safety but expressed concerns about further increasing utility taxes. Also discussed were budget cuts and ways to save money without raising taxes. They debated closing the community building, which would save $5,000, but questioned if it was worth the loss of revenue. The group also considered reducing library hours but acknowledged this might face resistance from library supporters. The council concluded that any options to save money, including changes to newsletters and other public services, should be communicated clearly to the community to demonstrate their efforts to avoid tax increases.

The Council will make a decision regarding the HB 2015 tax on Thursday October 2, 2025, after the public hearing.

City Council Meeting Recap: 10.02.2025

Kalama City Council held a public hearing to consider the implementation of a public safety sales tax under HB 2015 approved by legislature this last spring. This is a sales tax, so it draws from all service users (not just the city residents) providing a large(r) tax base. Costs for public safety continue to rise and the demand for service is constant. The legislature has provided cities with this tax and the associated grant (for hiring & training) as a tool to help manage the costs through local authority. After the public hearing, the Council adopted Ordinance 1540 which will implement the new sales tax to begin January 1, 2026.

The Council also adopted Ordinance 1541 which reallocates a portion of the existing general fund capital facilities utility tax from the current reserve and debt service accounts to the general fund, effective October 1, 2025, through December 31, 2027. This will provide some interim funds to help with the current general fund deficit the city is experiencing, without increasing taxes.

FOLK co-president Ruthie Tippin addressed the Council announcing October is “Friends of the Library” month. She reviewed the ways FOLK (Friends of the Library at Kalama) raises funds and provides volunteer services in support of our library programs.

Mayor Reuter noted that Councilmember Deb Geiger has submitted her resignation from Council position #5. She has recently married and will be moving outside the city limits. The city is accepting applications for the open position and has set a special meeting for October 13th at 6pm to interview candidates for appointment. Mayor Reuter and Council thanked Ms. Geiger for serving. Ms. Geiger noted that it is important work and greatly appreciates the dedication the councilmembers and City staff show as they operate the city.

In reports it was noted that the Library has increased services and expanded its footprint in the community over the last five years—increasing cardholders and programs. The Tourism application window has closed, and the City received applications totaling over $66,000 for event funding. Lodging taxes are anticipated to only be $55,000 in 2026, so the Committee and Council will need to make some decisions. The sewer line replacement project continues on 3rd St, Holly Blvd, 2nd St and on to Taylor Rd with completion anticipated mid-December.

Upcoming events & dates:
• 10/4 KAMA’s Autumn Art in the Park (10am-4pm)
• 10/4 Kalama Lion’s Walk N’ Knock (donations can be dropped at Kalama Helping Hand)
• 10/16 Council Workshop @ 6pm – utility rate setting software overview
• 10/16 Council Public Hearing @ 7pm – revenues (proposed property tax levy, and 2026 fees, charges, proposed utility rate increases, garbage rate increases, building permit fees and other miscellaneous fees)
• 10/31 Fibre Federal’s 1st Street Trick or Treat event, 4-6pm

The Kalama Planning Commission will hold a meeting on Thursday, October 9th, 2025 at 6:00pm.
Location: 320 N 1st Street (council chambers)
Agenda and virtual attendance information is available through the calendar on the website or here: https://www.towncloud.io/go/kalama-wa

The Kalama City Council will hold a special meeting to interview candidates for vacant council position #5 on Monday, October 13, 2025 @ 6pm at 320 N 1st Street, Kalama, WA 98625.
Application deadline: October 7, 2025 @ 5pm
Refer to this article for details.

The Kalama Salary Commission will meet on October 9th at 4pm at the council chambers, 320 N 1st Street.to discuss wages for the mayor and council positions. This committee typically meets once per year to review wages. This meeting is open to the public and will have options for in-person and virtual (Zoom) attendance. Virtual attendance information will be available through the TownCloud site.