Dayton Chronicle - Your Hometown News Source

DAYTON–The City Council adopted the 2024 budget at the December 5 meeting and were advised Dollar General has stopped building, plus heard farewell messages from exiting Mayor Zac Weatherford and Council member Dain Nysoe.

The Council also approved the authorization for the Mayor to approve amendments to the 2023 budget and approved December 26 as a paid holiday for city staff.

Planning and Community Development representative Clark Posey gave the council and update that Dollar General has ceased all operations for building down at the Ray's Drive-In Property.

"Cost of construction are up, so they decided not to build right now," Posey said. He does not know if this is a postponement and there is no certainty they would resume work in the future. Closing on the property never concluded, and Dollar General does not currently own the property.

Mayor Weatherford gave a farewell speech and welcomed Mayor Elect Roger Trump.

"It has been a great privilege to serve as the Dayton Mayor for the last four years," said Weatherford. "We have had a lot of ups and downs since I took office. Fortunately, we have created a dedicated team that faces every challenge head on with integrity, experience, and hard work...I want to take this opportunity to show my appreciation and gratitude to all those involved who not only helped me be successful and do my job better but to improve our community and quality of life every day."

He praised the city staff and commenting he believes the council and city are in good hands with Mayor Trump. "It takes courage to step into this role and I wish you the best of luck," said Weatherford.

Council Member Dain Nysoe also gave a comment for his departure stating "twelve years later, and after my 76th birthday, I am leaving city council with the understanding and conviction that city council will continue to operate effectively for the citizens of Dayton." He appreciates the citizens of Dayton for allowing him to serve for those twelve years, but will not relinquish his interest in the city of Dayton, offering his assists if needed.

In other Council business, Jasmine Helm and Mackey Smith, representatives for Columbia County Public Health, gave a presentation on a new health improvement plan. They finalized a community needs assessment. A survey was sent out to the public to determine the needs of the community. They choose the four highest needs which were, community outreach and education, substance use and prevention, mental health services, and childcare. Columbia County Public Health is looking into how they can use their funding to support these needs or team up with other agencies to fill the gaps and provide for these community needs.

Sheriff Joe Helm reported that he recently attended a Washington Association of Sheriffs and Police Chiefs conference. "It was kind of a doomsday type of conference in regards to public safety," Helm said. "For over a decade our state has been the worst in the nation. We are ranked 51 in the nation when it comes to law enforcement officers that serve the public. Nationally crime is going down, however in Washington it is going up."

Helm noted that this was coming down to the fact that about 600 officers have left the state for other states because of recent legislation that has been passed. The plan moving forward is the Sheriffs Association of the State of Washington is joining together with the Western States Sheriffs Association to look at legislation issues and find out what they can do to improve these and support law enforcement officers in Washington.

The city council also received monthly updates from multiple agencies. Columbia County Emergency Management specified that they received 288 calls for law for the city and 156 calls for the county. For Fire in the city, they received one call and three in the county. For EMS calls they had 28 in the city and six in the county.

A copy of the 2024 Budget can be found on the city's website.