The Pasco City Council has put off deciding who will run the Pasco Farmers Market and Pasco Specialty Kitchen next year, choosing to wait until budget talks are further along before committing to a contract that could cost the city up to $660,000 annually.
City staff had recommended the delay, and council members agreed this week to hold off rather than pick from four competing proposals now on the table, according to NBC Right Now. The council's own agenda report notes both programs have historically cost the city more to run than they bring in.
The four proposals, from local organizations not yet named in public reporting, carry annual management fees ranging from $90,000 to $660,000. Each group laid out a different vision for growing vendor participation, supporting food entrepreneurs and strengthening downtown Pasco, NBC Right Now reported.
Why the wait
The timing lines up with the city's broader budget strain. A Sept. 21 report from City Manager Harold Stewart said staff are working to close a projected $12.5 million general-fund gap in 2027 and a $16.5 million gap in 2028. Staff planned to begin presenting budget recommendations this month, with final approval expected at the council's first regular meeting in December, according to NBC Right Now's reporting.
That budget pressure is already reshaping other city decisions. Pasco has laid out a $695 million capital improvement plan for ballfields, water plants and road work, and neighboring Kennewick is confronting an $11.4 million budget gap that has already frozen police and fire hiring, both subjects of earlier Tri-Cities Today reporting. Committing to a management contract worth up to $660,000 a year before locking down 2027-2028 spending priorities would run counter to that cautious approach.
What's at stake downtown
The city first sought outside operators in July, inviting nonprofits, qualified organizations and individuals to submit proposals to run either the farmers market, the Specialty Kitchen or both starting in 2027. Proposals were due Aug. 5, according to the Tri-Cities Area Journal of Business.
"These programs have played an important role in the growth of downtown Pasco, and we're excited to give community organizations and local leaders the opportunity to help shape what's next," Stewart said in the July statement announcing the search.
The farmers market dates to 1988 and sits in Peanuts Park at 426 W. Lewis St., running every Saturday from May through October with vendors selling locally grown produce, meat, baked goods and artisan products, according to the Journal of Business and NBC Right Now's coverage of this year's vendor sign-ups. The Specialty Kitchen, a certified commercial kitchen with multiple walk-up vendor windows at 110 S. Fourth Ave., has operated since 2003 as a small-business incubator that has helped launch businesses including Angel Brook Ice Cream and Aub's Bananza Bread.
The city took over direct management of both programs from the nonprofit Downtown Pasco Development Association on June 1, 2023. At the time, DPDA board chair Kylie Grimes said the handoff would let "the DPDA board and City Council to strategize a robust plan for the future," according to NBC Right Now's report on the transition.
What's unresolved
The city has not publicly named the four organizations that submitted proposals, nor detailed each bid's specific programming plans. It's also unclear whether the council will revisit the decision during its October budget work sessions or wait until final budget approval in December — and whether the market and kitchen will continue under city management through the 2027 season while the decision sits in limbo. Residents with questions can follow the issue through the City of Pasco's farmers market page or upcoming council agendas.
