Puyallup City Council Regular Meeting - February 24, 2026

The Puyallup City Council held its regular meeting on February 24, 2026, at 6:30 PM in Council Chambers. All six present members (Mayor Witting, Deputy Mayor Johnson, Councilmembers Gilliam, Kastama, King, Smolko) voted unanimously on all items; Councilmember Adler was excused. The meeting included public comments, approval of consent agenda, ordinances, resolutions, a budget authorization, and policy discussions on the parklet program and traffic impact fees. The meeting adjourned at 8:38 PM.

Consent Calendar

• Supplemental Agreement 4 with Gray and Osborne, Inc., for the Water Pollution Control Plant 3rd Secondary Clarifier Project (approved).
• Acceptance of "Stop the Bleed Kits" from Pierce County Department of Emergency Management (approved).
• Approval of accounts payable, payroll, and electronic fund transfers from December 2025 (approved).
• Supplemental Agreement 2 with MIG for the Meeker Festival Street Project (approved).

Public Comments & Testimony

• Penni Thorpe thanked Council for the Black History Month proclamation and requested codifying the arrival of diverse cultural groups into a City resolution to celebrate unity.
• John Hopkins advocated for direct transfers from mandatory IRA distributions to nonprofits to avoid tax issues and supported local initiatives.
• Matthew Caras presented five demands focused on equity, truthful history, policy compliance, and re-including climate change analysis; he criticized changes to the Comprehensive Plan and recent racist attacks.
• Kathleen MacLeod urged the Council to oppose an ICE detention center in Puyallup, citing conditions at the Tacoma facility.
• Hollie Carty (West Pioneer Grill) expressed strong support for downtown parklets, noting their positive impact on foot traffic and businesses.
• Mary Anderson (Wicked Pie Pizza) strongly supported parklets, stating they increased her revenue and city tax revenue; she offered to pay $750 per year to keep them.
• Erik Showacy criticized the removal of diversity and equity language from the Comprehensive Plan and urged Council to live by its own proclamations.
• Andrelyn Izquierdo shared struggles with identity theft and requested more services for victims to recover compromised accounts.
• Chris Taylor urged Council to cover the city's $1,500 per parklet cost to support downtown businesses.

Discussion Items

• Parklet Program Policy Discussion – City Clerk Dan Vessels presented four options (A: permanent, no fee; B: partial cost recovery at $750; C: phased ramp-up to $1,500; D: sunset). Council debated merits. Councilmember Kastama moved to make the program permanent with no fee, prioritizing four units on Meridian and three in outlying zones (as per prior year). Councilmember King amended to add three additional parklets (total 10), funded by the Lodging Tax Advisory Committee (LTAC). The amendment passed 6–0, and the main motion as amended passed 6–0. Council directed staff to work with LTAC and return with location details.
• Traffic Impact Fee Discussion – City Engineer Hans Hunger presented a comprehensive study: current fee of $4,500 per PM peak trip (set in 2007) equals $4,185 per single-family home; adjusted for inflation would be $7,836. Eligible project list totals $64.3 million. Options ranged from a maximum defensible rate of $8,739 to regional averages (~$6,500) or a phased approach. Policy choices discussed included indexing to construction cost, exempting early learning centers and low-income housing (up to 80% without backfill), truck trip adjustments, reciprocal fees with Pierce County, and payment timing (deferral to occupancy vs. early payment with vesting). Council expressed support for indexing, exemptions, truck adjustments, and reciprocal fees. Mayor Witting favored starting at a higher rate to ensure growth pays for growth; others preferred $6,500 with indexing. No action was taken; City Manager Kirkelie announced the ordinance would be brought for first reading on March 10, 2026.

Key Outcomes

• Consent Agenda approved 6–0.
• Ordinances (municipal code amendments and zoning map amendments) both approved on second reading 6–0.
• Resolution confirming appointments to citizen boards and commissions approved 6–0.
• Budget Authorization for an additional Payroll Specialist position approved 6–0 (estimated $69,000 for half-year, primarily from general fund).
• Parklet Program made permanent with no fee to businesses, total of 10 units (7 existing plus 3 new funded by LTAC), maintaining four on Meridian; further location refinements to be brought back.
• Traffic Impact Fee – Council provided policy direction; staff will prepare an ordinance for first reading on March 10, 2026.
• Mayor’s Report – Mayor Witting updated Council on the Unified Regional Authority for homelessness. Two funding options: fully by Pierce County and Tacoma, or cost-sharing ($18,000 for Puyallup). Documents sent to Council for review.
• Council Reports – Councilmember Smolko announced a "City of Puyallup World Tour" during spring break; Councilmember Gilliam reported Meeker Days will move to June 12–14, 2026 (not Father's Day weekend), with bands and free family activities.

Next Steps

• Traffic impact fee ordinance first reading on March 10, 2026.
• Zoning map amendments and land use policy discussion to continue.
• Parklet location plan to be finalized after LTAC input.
• Mayor will seek Council feedback on homelessness authority funding before the next meeting.