BINGEN — The Bingen City Council met at City Hall on Oct. 6. The agenda included the city’s mural resolution, the transient lodging tax, and the Critical Areas Update.
The city council discussed and approved an addendum for the 2025 contract they had with Big Fish Properties to place a mural on the former WAGAP building. Though the city had briefly thought the partial mural removal created a breach of the 2025 contract, the property owner had, in fact, gotten permission from previous city leadership.
The contract addendum, negotiated by Mayor Pro-Tempore Dale Grinstead-Mayle, makes that part of the building extraneous, saying, “That part will no longer be considered part of the mural.” It also says that the, “Building Owner shall take no action in altering the remainder of the mural without seeking and receiving the City’s consent prior to any alteration,” which echoes the original contract. The proposed modification of the affected space shows cream-colored trim around the new doorway. The council approved the contract addendum and will send it on to Big Fish Properties for agreement or further negotiation.
Lodging tax
The City of Bingen levies a 2% Transient Lodging Tax, or TLT. It applies to hotels and vacation rentals. Businesses affected by the local lodging tax do get a break on their overall tax bill: instead of adding 2% on top of the state’s 6.5% sales tax, the state reduces its share to 4.5%. Grinstead-Mayle wants to discuss the possibility of increasing the city’s Transient Lodging Tax. Lodging tax funds are appropriated through a grant process, and can be used to promote tourism, including events, signage, wayfinding, and beautification. The application window for 2027 Lodging Tax grants opened Oct. 1 and close on Oct. 23. Right now, nearly all of the city’s lodging tax funds go to Mt. Adams Chamber of Commerce and the Huckleberry Festival.
Critical areas
The council continues to push back against increased riparian buffers for Dry and Jewett creeks. As part of their Critical Areas Ordinance Periodic Update, they have been advised to create larger buffers by the best available science and consultant FacetNW. City staff research indicated that these increased buffers would become an unreasonable burden for many current property owners. The city has agreed to most other recommendations, but submitted a plan to maintain the current buffers. The public comment period ends Oct. 29.
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