WHITE SALMON — Between their past two meetings, White Salmon’s City Council approved three ordinances, solidified a memorandum of understanding with the West Klickitat Regional Fire Authority (WKRFA), celebrated a former city employee and told stories in recognition of Hispanic Heritage Month.
The Sept. 17 meeting began by sending Ross Lambert, a public works employee for the past 30 years, off to retirement. Mayor Marla Keethler joked about Lambert’s relationship with the street sweeper, and then council heard a presentation on amending the city’s budget from Jennifer Neil, the director of finance and operations.
The amendment reflects audit costs, additional revenue from prior grants, and the restructuring of city positions with their associated salaries, but the largest portion by far addresses ongoing infrastructure projects.
“The majority of the budget amendment is encompassing infrastructure projects, projects that council had already approved and we’re under contract for, but were not incorporated into the budget,” Neil said.
Like the remainder of actions taken across both meetings, council approved the amending ordinance unanimously, and considered a different ordinance related to unit lot subdivisions, or the process of splitting up a residential-zoned parent lot into two or more unit lots, next.
Council held a public hearing about unit lot subdivisions, intended to encourage a more diverse housing stock, back in May and remanded the ordinance back to the planning commission, as previously reported by Columbia Gorge News. They sought cleaner, more accessible language and additional deliberation over whether to permit shared utilities, along with incorporating single-family large lot (R-L) zones.
Councilor Patty Fink was concerned that larger plots divided several times could create confusion over ownership and regulation, but the planning commission decided that R-L zones should remain included. Since tackling the question of shared utilities would require a broader code update, the commission declined to make further changes, but did strike a rule prohibiting stacked units, or two dwellings on a single lot. Council adopted the ordinance without any further changes.
Lastly, City Planner Rowan Fairfield walked council through a new set of guidelines regarding the role of WKRFA Chief Wes Long in reviewing development applications. Long’s primary responsibility will be signing off on emergency vehicle turnarounds, along with other fire related matters, like new hydrants, underground tanks and commercial kitchen vents. Developers will have to pay a fee, $75 per hour, for fire review.
As harvest season comes to a close, and in commemoration of Hispanic Heritage Month, Councilor Morella Mora started the Oct. 1 meeting by sharing the story of Don Santos and her local beginnings on an orchard. Mora emphasized both the cultural and economic importance of farmworkers, who are overwhelmingly Latino, and what follows is a selection of excerpts from her speech.
“Don Santos has cared for and stewarded the land on Underwood Mountain for over 50 years. He turned 91 this year and still works every harvest. He speaks no English and gives the best advice. He was my first teacher about this way of life, as he has been to many,” said Mora. “He prefers to work without gloves, tells me that they get in his way — that he needs to feel the fruit.”
“Pear harvesting is hard work,” Mora continued. “[Farmworkers] strap bags to themselves that weigh about 40 pounds. Once full, before dumping them into their bins, they have to climb ladders and usually walk uphill to fill their sacks. The work is detailed, organic farming especially: You must know which fruit to pick and which to drop based on size and condition. Each bin they fill holds 1000 pounds of pears. At the top rate, they get paid $35 per bin, and they have to work fast.”
“I hope, in a time when this community feels uncertain and unsafe in the homes they have created, in the land they have cared for, we can show up for them — see them as the generative members of the community that they are and continue to keep each other safe in our shared home,” Mora concluded.
With just one item on the agenda, council then updated the threshold at which out-of-city businesses must pay licensing fees, as required by Washington State law. Beginning in 2026, out-of-city businesses in White Salmon earning more than $4,000 per year, adjusted for inflation, must pay either a $75 license fee for first-time registration or the $50 annual fee.
The next city council meeting, beginning at 6 p.m. in the White Salmon Fire Hall, is on Oct. 15.
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