Goldendale council approves hiring replacement for retiring police officer

The Goldendale City Council approved a motion to hire a replacement police officer for Officer Stan Berkshire, who is scheduled to retire at the end of 2025. The council voted in favor of the hiring motion; the meeting record shows the motion was moved and seconded and that council members approved the action by voice vote.

Why it matters: Council members said the position was not included in the 2025 budget and the budget committee recommended making the hire now so a replacement can begin training ahead of Berkshire’s retirement. Council staff said a budget amendment will follow later in the year after police union contract negotiations are concluded.

Details from the meeting: City staff and the budget committee proposed initiating recruitment immediately. The council discussed timing for background checks and offered a conditional job offer to accelerate onboarding; one council member noted a lateral candidate from Oregon was available and could reduce training time. Council members said the cost will be covered in a later budget amendment and that hiring now may be less costly because the hire would not be on the payroll for a full year.

Procedure and vote: A motion to hire the officer was made and seconded during the council business portion of the meeting; the motion passed on a voice vote with all members present answering “Aye.” The meeting record did not show a roll-call tally or recorded dissent.

Ending: Staff will proceed with recruitment and background checks and will return to council with a budget amendment to fund the position later in the year.