Goal 1

Desired Outcome: To sustain, grow, and enhance the City’s Livability and Quality of Life by supporting and increasing public safety; encouraging increases in public health initiatives like community and private investments in medical facilities, wellness programs, and recreational activities; and emboldening a local culture that supports, encourages, promotes, and solicits events, festivals, and public gathering opportunities.

Objective 1.1:  Support proactive and alternative community policing efforts that promote prevention, rehabilitation, and substance abuse circumvention.  When possible, invest in early prevention services and programs.

Objective 1.2:  At a minimum, maintain the FY26 Police Department staffing levels and funding. Prioritize increasing police staffing levels to meet or exceed the InternationalAssociation of Chiefs of Police’s recommended staffing levels of 2 officers per 1,000 residents and achieve this goal in the FY28’s adopted budget. Support a department with a high emphasis on officer training and purchasing of state-of-the-art police technologies and equipment.

Objective 1.3:  Construct the new Umatilla Police Station. Seek to utilize federal, state, or Enterprise Zone funding to cover the debt services whenever possible.

Objective 1.4:  Financially and otherwise support the creation of new city-sponsored recreation programs for people of all ages. Increase and expand partnerships with other public facilities for public use to support such programs.

Objective 1.5:  Partner with other jurisdictional public health programs and private health providers in efforts to reduce tobacco use, marijuana use, substance abuse, reduce alcoholism, and reduce obesity. Seek grant opportunities to do so and give priority use of city-owned facilities to organizations that support these efforts.

Objective 1.6:  Recognize the high benefit and resolve that one of the highest priorities to our community is to provide a city-wide trail and pathway system that encourages walking, jogging, biking, and mobile leisure as well as enhances public safety by reducing the risk of pedestrian/vehicle accidents.

Objective 1.6.1:  While ensuring to be good stewards of the public’s lands, every effort should be made to maximize riverfront trails and public access to our rivers and beautiful natural landscapes and views that includes our rivers, mountains, hills, wetlands, and desert features.

Objective 1.7:  Continue to develop Big River Golf Course to host large multi-day Outdoor Community Festivals and events with the capacity to host no fewer than 7,500 people.

Objective 1.7.1: Use of Big River Golf course to host large events should occur during shoulder seasons (March/April or October/November), whenever possible.

Objective 1.7.2: Develop a concept plan for Big River Golf Course that includes: a new pro shop and clubhouse, possible restaurant, new on-course restroom facilities, new putting greens, updated paved pathways, and other improvements recommended by the Parks & Recreation Committee. 

Objective 1.8:  Continue to cultivate professional relationships with the Umatilla Chamber of Commerce. Work collaboratively to promote events, work to increase the total number of businesses in Umatilla, and encourage community memberships and participation.

Objective 1.9:  Invest in, support, and encourage commercial revitalization, with emphasis in the downtown.

Objective 1.9.1:  At a minimum, maintain the FY26 grant program funding of the Downtown Facade Grant and the Local Business Grant to financially support and encourage facade improvements. If possible, work to increase the total amount available and the amount available for each applicant project.

Objective 1.9.2:  If resources allow, increase funding to the Local Business Grant program to help potential businesses to locate their business into Umatilla commercial buildings throughout the City (does not include home-based businesses). Additional incentives should be made available to those businesses looking to locate in any downtown building that has been vacant for at least two years or any other commercial buildings that have been vacant for at least three years.

Objective 1.9.3:  Procure, through purchase and/or condemnation, unsafe, chronically vacant, or run-down buildings. Rehabilitate and/or refurbish such newly acquired buildings or work closely with developers and investors to do so. When appropriate, keep as publicly owned buildings; otherwise, make every effort to get the newly refurbished buildings back into private ownership to encourage business and economic growth.  

Objective 1.9.4: Follow best practices and principles for downtown urban beautification; at a minimum, encourage tree plantings, flowers, ornamental lighting and fixtures, natural and manicured landscapes, and the like. If necessary, do so through code revisions.

Objective 1.10:  Continue to explore the possible procurement of the Umatilla School District’s maintenance building to to provide for a Parks Department administration and storage facility.

Objective 1.11:  Complete design of Hash Park Sports Complex and seek to procure the necessary funding for construction with the goal of beginning construction in 2028 or sooner.

Objective 1.12: Begin work on the feasibility of constructing an Aquatic Center. Further consider partnering with the City of Hermiston’s HAWC (Hermiston Aquatic and Wellness Center) concept that would potentially construct a regional Aquatic Center. But, also explore options of the City of Umatilla constructing it’s own Aquatic Center or all-new Community Center that would include an aquatic center with other amenities in accordance with the City’s adopted Master Parks Plan.

Objective 1.13: Make efforts to establish work place safety. Work to establish Umatilla as a community that emphasizes emergency preparedness. Make any effort possible to ensure that all City functions can operate during times of crisis or if power or other core utilities were to temporarily be unavailable. At least once during 2025-2027, coordinate and carryout a “table-top” exercise with all other emergency service organizations in the area and work to remedy any gaps that may have been identified from this exercise.

Objective 1.14: Work to create housing at every economic level and provide investment and/or incentives to those levels of housing that are not being developed by the private sector.

Objective 1.14.1: Earnestly pursue housing development partnerships with private developers and nonprofits that provide low-income housing. Negotiate incentives with such developers that will entice them to construct their product in Umatilla. Consider constructing infrastructure, reducing fees, providing grants, density bonuses, etc. as possible means to produce such housing.:
 

Objective 1.14.2: Continue to partner with neighboring communities on Project PATH. Continue to earnestly pursue grant and private funding to ensure the program sustainability. Invest in infrastructure improvements to further expand the use and capacity of PATH.

Objective 1.14.3: City-owned property near the downtown should be developed to into multi-use housing that matches the traditionally and historical character of the downtown; with commercial buildings on the ground floor and apartments/condos on the 2nd and 3rd floors. Whenever possible, encourage as much density as reasonable as part of the City’s downtown revitalization strategies.

Objective 1.15: Work to expand high-speed internet and broadband services throughout the city. Whenever possible, pursue federal and state funding opportunities toward this effort. Solicit additional communication franchises to expand their services to Umatilla. Further investigate alternative Public Access network options in partnership with the City of Hermiston.