Starting next month, Pullman Parks and Recreation along with other public amenities will be the next victim of city budget cut attempts.
The City of Pullman stated in a news release on Wednesday that “in March 2026, the City will begin reducing hours for some casual, seasonal and part-time staff as well as making additional changes to services, programming, and purchasing in an ongoing effort to balance the City’s budget.”
Jeff Elbracht, Finance & Administrative Services Director, described an approximate $3 million shortfall to the city’s budget during a February council meeting.
A citywide pause will also be placed on hiring for any open positions whether they are vacant or not. Vacated positions will be filled on a case-by-case basis following an evaluation for organizational and operational needs of the role.
The loss of these hours will impact many public amenities including Pullman city parks and the Neill Public Library where there will be a reduction in services and city programming.
The City expressed that the cuts come as a result of an ongoing extensive budget campaign that spans across all city expenditures.
“These additional changes come after more than eighteen months of implementing cost-cutting measures City-wide, including cuts to operations, deferred or canceled capital expenditures, and budget reductions across all City of Pullman departments,” city officials stated in a news release.
“This is a challenging moment for our organization,” City Administrator Sean Wells stated in a news release. “Mayor Benjamin and I are committed to reducing costs and balancing the City’s budget while doing everything we can to minimize long-term impacts and preserve both our staff and the core services we provide to the residents of Pullman.”
City officials stated they are completely committed to transparency during the process and will continue to communicate this information as it becomes available.
An exact number on the hours expected to be cut by the city or how much money will be saved has yet to be released.
