Battle Ground council reportedly votes 4-3 to remove City Manager Kristina Swanson

Battle Ground’s seven-member City Council reportedly voted 4-3 on Aug. 8, 2026, to terminate City Manager Kristina Swanson without cause. The reported action is scheduled to take effect Sept. 4.

Swanson leads the city’s day-to-day administration under Battle Ground’s council-manager form of government, which voters adopted in 1997. The city’s official directory identifies Swanson as the city manager, and her employment agreement identifies her appointment as effective Aug. 5, 2024.

Reporting on the vote said the employment contract could require Battle Ground to pay more than $300,000 in severance and benefits. The exact calculation and payment schedule have not been disclosed. The action followed a special council meeting, where Councilmember Shane Bowman questioned how the meeting was called and said not all council members were included in the process.

The city’s official Agenda Center, which lists council agendas and records, did not show an Aug. 8 termination motion or approved minutes in the indexed records reviewed. Its latest indexed 2026 entries included meetings from July 27 and July 8. The next known step is the reported Sept. 4 effective date.