Camas officials highlight budgetary constraints in legislative appeal

Agenda includes Everett St., Slough Bridge, library improvements

By Kelly Moyer
February 28, 2025 2:39 pm
Camas, Government, News

Traffic moves over the Highway 14 bridge that crosses the Camas Slough on Tuesday, Feb. 25, 2025, in Camas. The City of Camas is working to secure funds to replace the bridge. (Taylor Balkom/The Columbian)

In their annual appeal for more federal funding, Camas officials have highlighted the city’s budgetary struggles despite becoming, as the city notes in its 2025 federal agenda summary, “a destination for high-tech companies, recreational enthusiasts and families.”

Camas City Council members approved Camas Mayor Steve Hogan’s 2025 legislative priorities earlier this month, during the council’s Feb. 18 meeting.

The agenda includes three city-specific projects — the Everett Street improvement project, renovations at the Camas Public Library and safety equipment for the Camas Police Department — as well as a $125 million Camas Slough Bridge widening project that is a shared priority for the cities of Camas and Washougal and the Port of Camas-Washougal.

Camas officials note the city’s history and current revenue shortfalls in the 2025 federal legislative agenda, noting that Camas was “once considered a mill town that employed nearly 2,700 people at the Georgia-Pacific paper plant” but is now “undergoing a dramatic transformation” into a desirable place to live, work and recreate.

“With this transformation comes the need to update the city’s aging and inadequate infrastructure,” the agenda states. “However, the city of Camas is undergoing a budget crisis that is, in part, a result of Georgia-Pacific closing portions of their operations in recent years, which, in addition to now only employing 150 people, has also impacted the proportion of property taxes collected (by the city).”

Everett Street project

The city has asked for $2 million to improve and upgrade Everett Street (state Highway 500). The money would help Camas pay for improvements to a 0.4-mile stretch of Everett Street between Northeast 35th and Northeast 43rd avenues.

The city’s legislative agenda notes that Everett Street, which “serves (more than) 2,000 students at Camas High School and the recently master-planned North Shore area, is a rural, two-lane road with no bike lanes, sidewalks, streetlights or safety shoulder.”

According to the city, improving Everett Street “will set the stage for significant economic development opportunities in the North Shore area, which is master-planned to include approximately 1,400 jobs, 8,000 residents and the development of the city’s 170-acre Legacy Lands Park and recreation area.”

City leaders have said the Everett Street improvements will make the road safer for drivers, pedestrians, bicyclists and other users traveling through the corridor and connecting to popular recreational amenities such as Lacamas Lake, Lacamas Regional Park, Round Lake, Fallen Leaf Lake and Crown Park.

Library renovations

The city hopes to secure $2 million to help pay for the second phase of the Camas library’s multiyear renovation project.

“Like any building built 84 years ago, the library is showing signs of wear and tear,” the city states in its legislative agenda.

The city points out that renovations at the library typically occur every 25 years and that the last update took place in 2002.

“In the past, the library had consistent voter approval for its bonds. However, with inflation, current funding does not meet the need,” according to the city.

If successful, the $2 million in funding would help the library replace aging equipment, furniture, flooring and lighting.

Police safety device

The city has requested $75,000 for a safety device that would help Camas police better identify hazardous chemicals, including fentanyl.

The city’s legislative agenda notes that “fentanyl seems to be mixed in with every kind of drug on the streets, including counterfeit prescription pills” and that federal statistics “show that seven out of every 10 pills seized has a lethal dose of fentanyl.”

Camas police worked on 24 cases involving drugs, many of which contained fentanyl, during the first five months of 2024, according to the city, and the police department has requested funding to purchase “a handheld device that can detect hazardous chemicals by scanning packages, minimizing officers’ risk of exposure.”

Slough Bridge

The cities of Camas and Washougal, along with the Port of Camas-Washougal, are jointly requesting $125 million to add a new, two-lane bridge to the westbound portion of the Camas Slough Bridge.

According to city documents, “when complete, the proposed corridor improvements will provide a seismically resilient bridge and route for freight and multi-modal travel, serving Clark County and communities along (Highway 14).”

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