As Pasco works to address a $12.5 million budget gap in 2027, the city invites the community to test their own budget scenarios using a new tool and share their feedback. 

City staff and council members have been reviewing budget scenarios since September, discussing how to maintain key services while addressing financial challenges. 

The city’s new Balance the Budget tool lets the public explore budget trade-offs and build their own scenario. Participants can see how services they would like to support affect the budget in real time, including the estimated levy lid lift and corresponding property tax increase that would generate the necessary revenue to fund those services. 

Services participants can choose to support include: keeping Memorial Aquatic Park open, keeping the Senior Center open, maintaining portable restrooms in parks, continuing the park ranger program, maintaining code enforcement capacity and preserving General Fund support for street-related services. 

The tool is intended to help the community better understand the decisions and trade-offs involved in balancing the city’s budget, as well as the financial impacts that come with maintaining current services. 

If the council puts a property tax increase on the ballot and voters approve it, the increase would take effect in January 2028, meaning the city would still need a separate solution to address the next year’s budget challenges. If a levy lid lift measure fails, the city won’t have the money to pay for services associated with the levy. 

Pasco invites community members to share the budget they build and submit their priorities and feedback directly to the city through the tool to help city leaders as their budget discussions continue. 

“This tool gives citizens the ability to adjust the budget numbers with their priorities before the final budget public hearing,” said Pasco Mayor Charles Grimm in a statement. “Public input is an essential part of our budget process, and we thank those that have continually engaged in the process.”

Go to: pasco-wa.gov/1749/Balance-the-Budget.