Five four two.

Good evening and welcome to the Tuesday, May 5th, 2026 regular business meeting of the Olympia City Council.

For the record, we have a quorum with Councilmember Barrett joining us online tonight.

Hi, Councilmember Barrett, can you hear us okay?

Good, thank you.

Great.

Uh so before we adopt our agenda tonight, uh, I'm gonna uh turn it over to Councilmember Gilman to give us an announcement on the letter carrier food drive.

I see you have the bag there.

Good evening.

I I wanted to call out that the second Saturday in May is the National Association of Letter Carriers Stamp Out Hunger.

So in your mailbox is a bag like this.

And this began in 1993.

There are over 10,000 cities participating across the country.

And if you uh will put non-perishable food into the bag, it goes to our local Thurston County Food Bank in this area from our Clark Savage branch of the letter carriers.

Each each local union has a relationship with a local food bank.

And my letter carrier Danny wanted to give me to give you this little heads up that if somebody who's not the letter carrier and not in the mail van comes and grabs the bag of food, that's because they sent runners out.

They have volunteers to expand their capacity because it's more than the letter carriers can gather while they're also delivering the mail.

So I hope you'll join me in participating in the Stamp Out Hunger Food Drive on Saturday.

Thank you.

Thank you very much, Councilmember Gilman.

Uh and at this time, I'd like to invite uh uh city manager Bernie for an announcement.

Thank you, Mr.

Mayor, Council members for the record, Jay Bernie City Manager.

I'm here tonight for a wonderful occasion to formally introduce you and the community to our interim fire chief Hillary Flowers.

She Flowers has been with the Olympia Fire Department since April of 2025 when she was hired as the Assistant Chief of Emergency Medical Services.

Prior to Olympia, Chief Flower spent 19 years in a variety of leadership roles at Lacey Fire District 3, including serving as the Assistant Chief of Health and Safety and Interim Medical Services Officer.

She assumed the role of Deputy Chief of Operations here at the Olympia Fire Department in November of 2025, and with the retirement of Chief Morris, accepted the role of interim chief, where she's doing amazing work.

During her time at Olympia Fire Department, her primary focus has been on streamlining operations and ensuring organizational readiness and resilience.

She has also spent considerable time focusing on staffing and recruitment in addition to collaborative efforts on the standards of cover and long-term planning and development for the agency.

Everywhere Chief Flowers has been, she has excelled.

She's widely respected in the fire service, and we are fortunate to have her here, leading the Olympia Fire Department in the role of interim chief.

I look forward to moving forward with the permanent chief selection very soon.

But please help me welcome Interim Fire Chief Hillary Flowers.

Thank you for having me here this evening.

It is an honor and privilege to serve both the City of Olympia and the Olympia Fire Department.

We have a wonderful team that serves our community.

And the thing I'm most proud about is our mission, which is taking care of people always.

And so you will hear us say that over and over and over again, which is we are here to serve the community.

And I believe as fire chief, my responsibility is to serve those within our organization as well as our community.

So thank you again for the privilege of being here for being in this role and being able to serve.

Thank you so much, Chief Flowers, and congratulations on coming into your new role.

All right.

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

So moved.

Second.

All those in favor of adopting the agenda as published, signify by saying aye.

Aye.

We have an agenda.

So our first item tonight, item 2A on our agenda is a special special recognition proclamation recognizing Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander Heritage Month.

And we have a shared reading of the proclamation beginning with Councilmember Barrett.

Yes.

Whereas each May, the United States celebrates Asian American Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander.

Islander Heritage Month, a time to honor and uplift the generations of Asian Americans, Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander individuals whose perseverance, contributions, and cultural traditions have enriched the fabric of our nation and reflect the ongoing pursuit of equity and justice and whereas Asian Pacific American Heritage Week was established by Congress in 1978 to commemorate the arrival of the first Japanese immigrants to the United States on May 7, 1843, and to honor the critical contributions of Chinese laborers to the completion of the Transcontinental Railroad on May 10th, 1869.

And whereas in 1992, Asian Pacific American Heritage Month Month was officially designated as a full month of celebration to recognize the historical and cultural contributions of AANHPI communities across the United States and whereas the 2026 ANHPI Heritage Month theme, power and unity, strengthening communities together, recognizes the collective strength, solidarity, and resilience of AA and HPI communities, and affirms the importance of working across communities to advance equity, belonging, and shared prosperity.

And whereas Washington State is home to a vibrant and diverse ANHPI population, representing many cultures, languages, and histories, and AHPI residents have played a vital role in shaping the state's civic, economic, and cultural life, while continuing to advocate for representation, equity, and access to democracy and whereas Olympia's history has long been shaped by AA and HPI communities, including early Chinese immigrants who established one of the city's historic Chinatowns in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, creating a vibrant center of commerce, community life, and mutual support, despite facing systemic exclusion and displacement.

And whereas today, AANHPI residents in Olympia continue to shape the city through leadership in public service, education, small business, health care, arts and culture, and community advocacy, residents strengthen the social, cultural, and economic vitality of our community and whereas the City of Olympia recognizes that AA NHPI community has continued to experience racism, xenophobia, and systemic inequality inequalities that affirm and affirm its commitment to advancing racial equity, dismantling structural barriers, and ensuring that all residents feel safe, valued, and able to thrive.

And whereas AA NHPI Heritage Month provides an opportunity to acknowledge both the historical injustices experienced by these communities and the ongoing work to build a more just, inclusive, and equitable Olympia.

And whereas the City of Olympia is proud to sponsor the Asian American and Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander Heritage Festival on May 23rd, 2026, which will be hosted and coordinated by the Asian Pacific Islander Coalition of South Puget Sound in celebration of community heritage and unity through culture and storytelling.

And whereas the City of Olympia encourages all residents to take action by learning from and engaging with the histories, cultures, and contributions of AA NHPI communities.

Now, therefore, be it resolved that the Olympia City Council does hereby proclaim May 2026 as Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander Heritage Month in the City of Olympia and reaffirms its commitment to equity, inclusion and belonging, and standing in solidarity with AA and HPI communities.