Walla Walla City Council trims utility provisions from comprehensive plan code update
By Dan Thesman on Friday, October 30th, 2026 in Columbia Basin News More Top Stories
WALLA WALLA — The Walla Walla City Council on Wednesday approved amended code updates implementing its 20-year comprehensive plan in a 5-2 vote, after stripping out contentious water and sewer provisions to keep decision-making power with elected officials.
Councilmember Emily Brown introduced the motion to amend Ordinance 2026-18, seconded by Jeffrey Robinson, to remove three sections of Title 13.
The excluded sections would have allowed the city manager, rather than council, to authorize utility connections outside city limits for failed septic systems and wells. Following public pushback over utility oversight, Brown argued council needed more time to review the potential implications rather than cede authority to staff. Council unanimously agreed to pull the sections for future study before passing the remaining code amendments.
The companion update to the Walla Walla 2046 Comprehensive Plan modernizes zoning language and aligns local regulations with state housing mandates.
Council also passed the rest of Wednesday’s action agenda, adopting the full 2046 Comprehensive Plan and ratifying more than $33 million in multi-year public safety labor contracts.
The package includes a three-year, $19.7 million pact with the Walla Walla Police Guild that runs through 2029, featuring a dedicated traffic unit and a 3.75 percent cost-of-living raise in 2027 followed by 3 percent annual hikes. Council also approved a two-year, $13.7 million agreement with International Association of Fire Fighters Local 404 spanning through 2028, providing identical wage adjustments alongside community paramedic incentives.
File photo of the Walla Walla City Council
