OPENPUBLICA · PUBLIC MEETING RECORD
Record of Proceedings

Puyallup Civil Service Commission Meeting – July 6, 2026

City Council & Commissions — Monday, July 6, 2026
BodyPuyallup, Washington
SessionCity Council & Commissions
DateMonday, July 6, 2026
StatusFILED
Video Record
0:00 / 15:16

Transcript — Verbatim
0:05

Perfect.

0:07

Chair Smith called I was going to say we're able to pull.

0:11

I was just making sure you're able to pull the agenda up from where you're at.

0:16

No, I can't, but I I did review it, so hopefully we'll see how good my memory is.

0:20

Okay.

0:21

We'll call to order.

0:22

Are there any uh um additions or changes to the agenda as uh sent up sent to us by uh Ms.

0:30

Ortega last week?

0:33

Okay, I'd entertain a motion to approve the agenda to approve.

0:43

Okay, and a second.

0:44

A second.

0:46

Okay, uh all in favor, signify by saying aye.

0:49

Aye.

0:50

Aye.

0:52

Okay.

0:53

Um I do apologize, um, chair.

0:56

Um, but we did not do a roll call yet.

0:58

Would be be able to do that before the approval of minutes.

1:00

Of course.

1:01

Pardon me, pardon me.

1:02

Roll call, please.

1:04

Perfect.

1:04

Uh Commissioner Scott Case.

1:06

Present.

1:07

Commissioner Jim Kelly.

1:09

Present.

1:10

Commissioner AJ Garg.

1:13

Vice Chair Brian Spracklin.

1:19

You know that he's present.

1:21

Oh, perfect.

1:22

Vice Chair Spracklin, you are on mute.

1:24

So present.

1:26

And and lastly, Chair Dan Smith.

1:29

Present.

1:30

Thank you.

1:30

Four out of five.

1:31

We do have a quorum for this meeting.

1:33

Excellent.

1:34

Okay, approval of minutes.

1:36

I would entertain a motion to approve the uh minutes.

1:39

Motion approved.

1:42

All right, and there was a second, and there are any additions, corrections, changes.

1:49

Okay, I'll signify approving the minutes by saying aye.

1:52

Aye.

1:53

Aye.

1:53

Aye.

1:54

Okay, motion motion approved.

1:56

Ms.

1:56

Ortega.

1:58

Okay, good morning, everyone.

2:00

Happy uh July 6th.

2:02

Hopefully, we're getting back down as we were discussing to some quieter times after celebrating uh our nation's birthday.

2:09

So the first agenda item we have on our list is approval of a police captain eligibility list.

2:16

Um, we do currently have one captain position open to be filled, and our previous eligibility list had expired at the end of March.

2:24

Um, so we held an assessment process that included a written exercise, an oral autobiography, and which is a presentation that the candidates give uh to all of the assessors, uh, a presentation of their written exercise project, oral board questions, and a critical incidences exercise in which the candidates have to think through uh practical scenarios and simulate decision making uh and their assessment skills as though they're acting as a captain at that level.

2:57

Um so we did have two internal candidates participate in this process.

3:02

Uh we held the assessment center on June 23rd at the new Piot Police Department.

3:07

Candidates were rated by five assessors from outside local agencies, so all the assessors are external assessors, uh and all of which are of captain rank or higher.

3:19

Um these agencies included Sumner, DuPont, Tacoma, University Place, and the Auburn Police Department.

3:27

Uh we are very pleased to report that both candidates passed with a score of 70% or higher, and they are listed in order of score as follows.

Discussion Breakdown — Share of Meeting
Procedural█████████████████████████████████████████████48%
Public Safety██████████████████████████████████████████45%
Engineering And Infrastructure███████7%
Summary of Proceedings

Puyallup Civil Service Commission Meeting – July 6, 2026

The Puyallup Civil Service Commission met on Monday, July 6, 2026, at 9:00 a.m. in the Council Chambers of City Hall. The meeting was called to order by Chair Dan Smith with four of five commissioners present, establishing a quorum. The commission approved the agenda and the minutes from the May 18, 2026 meeting, and then took action on three eligibility lists presented by Chief Examiner Ortega.

Consent Calendar

  • Approval of the May 18, 2026 minutes (unanimous).
  • Approval of three personnel eligibility lists (see below), all approved unanimously without opposition.

Public Comments & Testimony

No public comments were received or presented during the meeting.

Discussion Items

1. Approval of Police Captain Eligibility List

  • Chief Examiner Ortega reported that a promotional assessment center was held on June 23, 2026, at the new Piot Police Department. Two internal candidates participated. They were evaluated by five external assessors (from Sumner, DuPont, Tacoma, University Place, and Auburn Police Departments) through a written exercise, an oral autobiography presentation, oral board questions, and a critical incidents exercise. Both candidates passed with scores of 70% or higher. The eligibility list, in order of score, is: 1) David Bierbauer and 2) Sean Nestor.

2. Approval of Blended Entry Level Police Officer Eligibility List

  • Police oral boards were held on June 11 and June 25, 2026. Thirteen candidates were interviewed; ten passed with a score of 70% or higher and were added to the existing list. The updated list includes 15 names in order: Nick Jenkins, Kristen Espinoza, Ben Lechner, Jeff Cravins, Ennis Robertson, Logan Acus, Janelle Aparicio, Dylan Paganini, Amy Tuyasopo, Marquez Reese, Josh Lemon, Forrest Preston, Jacob Alvers, Braden Janiki, and Liam Lyle. Commissioners noted the list size is the largest in three to four years and praised the recruiting efforts.

3. Approval of Blended Advanced Entry Police Officer Eligibility List

  • Oral boards held on the same dates (June 11 and 25) included one advanced entry candidate, a current corrections officer. The candidate passed with a score of 70% or higher and was added to the existing list. The updated list of four names: 1) Brad Englund, 2) Tucker Sprague, 3) Tyler Campbell, and 4) Carolina Marin Belgar.

4. Chief’s Report

  • Chief Engel provided an update from Packwood, thanking the commission for flexibility in scheduling tests and promotional procedures. He reported:
    • The department currently has two vacancies, with a third expected in September (retirement of a school resource officer).
    • A final offer of employment was extended to an entry-level candidate; hiring is focused on entry-level due to a dry lateral market.
    • Both captain candidates will undergo a Chief’s interview with himself and Deputy Chief Massey, with a promotional decision expected this month.
    • The new police building is operational; call response times in the downtown core and north area have improved compared to when the department was located downtown.
    • Two officers recently completed training and joined patrol: an advanced entry candidate from Bellevue and a lateral from Sultan.
    • Regarding the downtown substation, a design firm (McKenzie) presented three options; Chief Engel will meet with the city manager the following day. A tenant improvement project in the jail area and remaining first-floor space is anticipated, with a likely timeline of fall to winter.
  • Commissioners expressed enthusiasm for the new building and the substation plans.

5. Chief Examiner’s Report

  • Chief Examiner Ortega reminded that the next meeting is scheduled for August 17, 2026, and will be held in person. She also noted the retirement of Officer Dave Temple after nearly 28 years of service, thanking him for his dedication.

Key Outcomes

  • Approval of Police Captain Eligibility List: Motion to approve passed unanimously (4-0).
  • Approval of Blended Entry Level Police Officer Eligibility List: Motion to approve passed unanimously (4-0).
  • Approval of Blended Advanced Entry Level Police Officer Eligibility List: Motion to approve passed unanimously (4-0).
  • Next Meeting: August 17, 2026, in person at City Hall.
  • Adjournment: The meeting adjourned without further business.

Meeting Transcript

Perfect. Chair Smith called I was going to say we're able to pull. I was just making sure you're able to pull the agenda up from where you're at. No, I can't, but I I did review it, so hopefully we'll see how good my memory is. Okay. We'll call to order. Are there any uh um additions or changes to the agenda as uh sent up sent to us by uh Ms. Ortega last week? Okay, I'd entertain a motion to approve the agenda to approve. Okay, and a second. A second. Okay, uh all in favor, signify by saying aye. Aye. Aye. Okay. Um I do apologize, um, chair. Um, but we did not do a roll call yet. Would be be able to do that before the approval of minutes. Of course. Pardon me, pardon me. Roll call, please. Perfect. Uh Commissioner Scott Case. Present. Commissioner Jim Kelly. Present. Commissioner AJ Garg. Vice Chair Brian Spracklin. You know that he's present. Oh, perfect. Vice Chair Spracklin, you are on mute. So present. And and lastly, Chair Dan Smith. Present. Thank you. Four out of five. We do have a quorum for this meeting. Excellent. Okay, approval of minutes. I would entertain a motion to approve the uh minutes. Motion approved. All right, and there was a second, and there are any additions, corrections, changes. Okay, I'll signify approving the minutes by saying aye. Aye. Aye. Aye. Okay, motion motion approved. Ms. Ortega. Okay, good morning, everyone.

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