Good evening and welcome to the Tuesday, September 30th regular business meeting of the Olympia City Council.

For the record, we have a quorum with all council members present.

So with that, I'd like to mention that we do uh have a public hearing that will take place next Tuesday on October 7th at 6 p.m.

Uh and that public hearing will be on the proposition one ballot measure that will be uh on the ballot for the general election.

That'll be the opportunity for the community to come and participate in that hearing.

Uh so with that, I need a motion to approve tonight's agenda.

Move approval.

Second.

All those in favor of the motion signify by saying aye.

Aye.

Aye.

We have an agenda.

So our first item tonight on our agenda is 2A, which is special recognition proclamation recognizing September 29th through October 5th as week without driving.

Uh, and we have a reading of the proclamation by Councilmember Madron.

Whereas access to mobility is a fundamental part of health, safety, and community connection, allowing City of Olympia residents to reach employment and education opportunities, medical services, shopping, recreation, and visit friends and family.

And whereas many community members cannot afford or are financially stretched to pay for car ownership and maintenance.

The American Automobile Association, triple A, estimates that it costs 12,297 a year or 1,025 a month to own a vehicle and recommends spending no more than 10% of income on transportation.

This means drivers would need to earn 120,000 a year to avoid the average cost of car ownership, while the US median household income is approximately 77,000.

And whereas nearly one third of people in the United States do not have a driver's license due to age disability or other barriers to driving, and whereas in many places, transportation options such as public transit, safe sidewalks, and connected bike infrastructure are limited or still under development, making it more difficult for people who do not drive to access essential services, social connections and opportunities.

And whereas the City of Olympia is committed to improving multimodal transportation through planning and investments in its transportation master plan, including projects such as expanded and repaired sidewalks, enhanced crosswalks and bike lanes, support for inner city transit, and development of streets that make walking, rolling, and biking safer and more accessible.

And whereas participating in a week without driving is a valuable way for city leaders, staff, and residents to experience what it's like to navigate Olympia without relying on a personal vehicle and helps identify opportunities to build a more inclusive and accessible transportation system for all.

And now, therefore, be it resolved that the City of Olympia does hereby proclaim September 29th through October 5th, 2025 as the week without driving in Olympia, and encourage all residents, city officials, and community partners to join us in this observance if they can and consider how we can work together to create a more connective, inclusive, and sustainable transportation future for our city.

Signed in the City of Olympia, Washington this 30th day of September 2025, Olympia City Council Dante Payne, Mayor Thank you, Councilmember Madron.

At this time, I'd like to invite up Daniel Garcia, who is here to receive the proclamation.

And if you have a few words you'd like to share, please do so at the podium.

Good to see you.

Hello, council.

My name is Daniel Garcia.

I live downtown, and as a full-time pedestrian who does not drive, I experience our streets in a very direct way every single day.

Thank you for this proclamation, recognizing the week without driving.

And also thank you to Anna Zivart, the disability rights advocate and America Walks for creating an event that centers the voices of non-drivers.

What I've seen in the lead up to this week is that people from all walks of life, business owners, environmentalists, urbanists, we all share a common goal of creating safe, fun, and accessible streets.

Places like Fourth Avenue, right outside are proof of what's possible.

They're walkable, they're vibrant, and they're full of life.

Yet we also know that downtown streets can also be some of the most dangerous for people walking and biking.

Downtown arterial streets where I live make up only one percent of city lane miles, the 15% of pedestrian and bicyclist collisions.

Weeks like this can be a conversation starter to remind us that non-drivers should be prioritized in planning conversations.

And we know that well-maintained streets are safer for everyone, drivers and pedestrians.

But we also know that we're falling behind on some of these investments.

According to the latest numbers, our street repair goals are currently falling short.

We're currently scoring only a 66 instead of a goal of 75.

And modeling predicts that that is will drop to 60 by 2029.

Weeks like this are a time to reflect and make sure that we invest in safer, more accessible and well maintained streets because we all benefit when we do.

Thank you.

Thanks, Daniel.

Uh, before you go, um, there might just be a few words from the dais, and then we'll present you with a proclamation.

And if you'd like, we could take a photo uh afterwards also.

Okay.

All right.

Are there any comments from the dais?

Mayor Potem Wynn, followed by Council Member Gilman.

Daniel, thanks so much for being here.

Uh, I know we all really appreciate your service on our planning commission as well.

Um I've noticed that independently you uh uh take it upon yourself to produce a lot of content about ways that Olympia could be better or things that are great about Olympia that more people should know about.

So I really appreciate that too.

We'll we'll call that your other duties.

Um I really appreciated the comments that you had said, just trying to give uh the proclamation uh lines it out, but I think you just make it a little bit more human and underscore why are we doing this?

Are we doing this because we think every single person in this chambers are going to are going to do this week without driving?

Probably not.

I hope some folks will.