The Yakima City Council held a study session on June 25, 2024, at 5:12 PM (delayed due to technical difficulties). The meeting included recognition of retiring Police Chief Matt Murray, a review of zoning and building permit processes, postponement of Planning Commission appointments, and a discussion on lifting the fireworks ban. Council reached consensus not to change the fireworks ban.
Recognition of Retiring Police Chief Matt Murray
Review of Zoning and Building Permits Related to Business and Economic Development
Council Nominating Committee Recommendations – Yakima Planning Commission
Discussion on Lifting the Fireworks Ban for July 4th
Yeah. All right, good evening. I call this uh meeting of the city council for our study session for June twenty-fifth, and just for folks that are watching online or Zoom, uh, you will only have audio. That's why we're a little late tonight because our video for some reason is not working. So uh clerk, uh roll call, please. Berg here. Brown? Here. DCO? Here. Glenn? Here. Herrera? Here. Roy? Here. Myers is absent. All right. Next up we have uh public comment. If you would uh like to make public comment, there are slips in the back, and you can uh bring it up to our clerk up here. Uh public comment tonight is for 15 minutes. Um we have two and a half minutes per. And first up is uh Alina Aline Eileen Kane, sorry. Thank you, Council. It's nice to be number one. I came because of the possibility of having legal fireworks. I used to love blowing up those legal fireworks. It was one of the best things about coming to Yacima. But the city decided to ban them, and I got an education from our firefighters about the consequences. The consequences are increased risk of fire, increased risk of injury and death to people with the fireworks and any bystanders. The other consequence is financial. Which I think our city would like to keep the costs of things down. We have it's a wonderful professional show. I've been many times, enjoyed it. The only problem I've ever had with it where I quit going is there's no bus from my neighborhood, which is, you know, around Fruitville Boulevard in North Six. As there were in many years past, the city said it was too expensive to do it. So we probably have the highest rate of illegal firework use. It's a miracle the whole neighborhood hasn't burned down. And it's dangerous. I'm sorry, it's dangerous. And I would assume we kept the ban. And uh for serving on City Council. All right. Next up is uh Sherry Kiltee. Good evening, Council members. Um I'm here tonight to bring the official farewell from the YWCA uh staff and board to send Chief Murray on to his next uh destination. We have desperately appreciated his um leadership around the issue of domestic violence, all of the community issues we have. You can root it back to the issue of violence and abuse in the home. And uh being able to partner with him and all the other officers and others throughout the community has really made a huge difference. Um we're all working in the same direction together, and so I just wanted to come tonight and express our appreciation for him, and thank you very much.