OPENPUBLICA · PUBLIC MEETING RECORD
Record of Proceedings

Yakima City Council Regular Meeting - October 15, 2024

City Council — Tuesday, October 15, 2024
BodyYakima, Washington
SessionCity Council
DateTuesday, October 15, 2024
StatusFILED
Video Record
0:00 / 3:50:33

Transcript — Verbatim
0:15

Good evening and welcome, and I will reconvene the Yakima City Council meeting of October 15th, 2024.

0:22

And before we get going, I do need to make an announcement.

0:25

That is that due to technical difficulties, tonight's city council meeting will not be broadcast live on Spectrum Cable Channel 194.

0:34

It will be streamed live on the City of Yacima website at www.yakimawa.gov forward slash council forward slash agendas dash and dash minutes.

0:47

Rolls right off the writes up.

0:48

You can get all that down, you can watch it live.

0:50

All right.

0:51

Thank you.

0:53

Now how roll call, please.

0:55

Berg.

0:56

Here.

0:56

Brown.

0:57

Here.

0:58

By ears.

0:58

Present.

0:59

DCO.

1:00

Here.

1:00

Glenn.

1:01

Here.

1:01

Herrera.

1:02

Here.

1:03

Roy.

1:03

Yes.

1:04

Thank you.

1:05

Please rise and join me for the Pledge of Allegiance.

1:09

Again.

1:10

I've led your reasons.

1:15

And to the Republic for which one.

1:26

You'll have interpreter services.

1:28

Thank you.

1:30

Good evening.

1:31

Paracayos can necesiten the assistencia de un interprete.

1:35

Les commandes at Sistema y estoy aquí disponible para hacerlo.

1:38

Gracias.

1:39

Gracias.

1:40

Thank you.

1:42

Next on the agenda is public comment.

1:44

There will be 35 minutes allowed for public comment this evening, with two and a half minutes allowed for anyone who wishes to speak.

1:50

If you want to speak during public comment, please make sure you fill out a form from the table in the lobby and turn it in to the city clerk.

1:57

As you come to the microphone, please uh give us your name and the city in which you live.

2:05

Okay, great.

2:06

So the first person we have is Margaret Filkins.

2:22

Hi, my name is Margaret Philkins, and I live and work in the City of Yakima.

2:26

I appreciate your time this evening to hear my concerns about the current parking permit and renewal situation in downtown city lots.

2:33

We recently learned that people with a current parking pass cannot renew their existing City of Yakima parking passes because there's a waiting list.

3:05

Employers will be impacted by missing staff, potential expectation to pay tickets if their employee could not leave in time, and also the inconvenience for clients or customers, as well as the challenge of hiring staff who cannot afford to pay parking lot play parking lot route roulette or risk a ticket.

3:24

So my questions and concerns are as followed.

3:27

When I applied for a permit, I gave a credit card number, and I was under the uh understanding that I would auto-renew.

3:33

I only found out that that wasn't the case when we tried to change the credit card and update it and found out that we no longer had a valid parking permit.

3:41

If we hadn't tried to make that change, we would have been faced with a ticket.

3:44

And that lot is frequently reviewed and frequently ticketed.

3:49

Um I've heard that this new renewal process means that we have to go through an application again and submit paperwork that I didn't have to submit the first time in hopes of matching up documents with licensing.

4:01

If that's the case, it seems like we're all being punished for potentially catching people who have a license that uh registration that is not renewed or tickets, when in fact that seems it could be handled by an internal database comparison on your part, and then a driver could be told your permit has been suspended.

4:20

When people are on the waiting list, I don't know what are my staff are supposed to do.

4:24

If the lots are geofenced, it means that even moving to a new space is not going to allow them to get back to work in time.

4:30

I'm also curious what happens when poor weather hits, there are mobility issues, or people have timelines to get back to their job.

4:37

The ticketing vehicle going through that often makes it very challenging.

4:41

And I've been in meetings where I could not get out in time or risk giving up a conversation with a client or a valuable contact.

4:48

That's not fair to the businesses downtown.

4:52

Um in addition, what in my situation I have a very small office when one person is in the office and we I'm sorry, Brittany, two and a half minutes are oh, thank you.

Discussion Breakdown — Share of Meeting
Procedural██████████████████18%
Public Transportation███████████11%
Engineering And Infrastructure█████████9%
Land Use Planning████████8%
Public Safety████████8%
Fire Safety████████8%
Public Works Administration█████5%
Substance Use Disorder████4%
Budget Equity Analysis████4%
Summary of Proceedings

Yakima City Council Regular Meeting - October 15, 2024

The Yakima City Council met on October 15, 2024, at 5:30 p.m. in City Hall Council Chambers. The meeting included public comment, a public hearing, several department ordinances and resolutions, and the first round of the 2025-2026 Biennial Priority Based Budget review. Key actions included approval of the YWCA right-of-way vacation (with payment of $70,000), a remand of the Columbia Ridge Homes vacation, and passage of ordinances on tourism promotion, parking permits, and shopping cart regulations.

Consent Calendar

  • Approved minutes from October 1 and October 8, 2024.
  • Approved payment of disbursements for September 1-30, 2024.
  • Accepted 2024 3rd Quarter Treasury Report.
  • Set public hearing dates: November 4, 2024 for property tax; November 4 and 19, 2024 for the biennial budget; November 19, 2024 for open record hearing on Comp Plan Amendment and Rezone (CPA#004-24, RZ#004-24) and closed record hearings for Rainier Court Phase 5 preliminary plat and text amendments to Titles 14, 15, 16.
  • Accepted project completion for HBJCC Roof Replacement (MG Wagner Company Inc.).
  • Authorized award of Bid 12421 to Solenis LLC for Cationic Polymer Flocculant (R-2024-183).
  • Authorized agreement with HDR Engineering, Inc. for Nelson Phase 2 Conveyance Improvements (R-2024-184).
  • Authorized agreement with Apollo, Inc. for Biosolids Dewatering Improvements (R-2024-187).
  • Authorized Trial Court Improvement Account funds for Municipal Court (R-2024-188).
  • Ratified probation services agreement with Yakima County (R-2024-189).
  • Approved agreement with Washington State Department of Revenue for tourism promotion area fees (R-2024-190).
  • Authorized City Manager to set 2025-2026 Airport Rates and Fees with annual increase to fair market value then 5% (R-2024-191).
  • Items L and M (grant acceptance for Growth Management Act Periodic Update and Climate Resilience Element) were removed from consent, then approved separately by a 7-0 vote (R-2024-185 and R-2024-186).

Public Comments & Testimony

  • Margaret Filkins (City resident) expressed concerns about the parking permit renewal process, including waiting lists, auto-renewal issues, and impacts on downtown businesses.
  • John Baule (City resident) echoed concerns about the renewal process, noting his permit expired on October 7 and he could not renew due to date restrictions.
  • Marchal Tyler (City resident) spoke against the N. 92nd Avenue right-of-way vacation proposal, arguing that an underlying private driveway predates the public easement and that the vacation constitutes eminent domain and demolition of a private asset.
  • Cheri Kilty (YWCA representative) spoke in favor of the YWCA right-of-way vacation and asked the Council to waive or reduce the $70,000 appraised value fee, citing prior payment by the hospital and the public benefit of affordable housing.
  • James Carmody (Attorney for YWCA) argued for a waiver or reduction, noting the $100,000 fee paid by Providence in 1997, the city's freedom from maintenance for 27 years, and statutory authority under RCW 35.84.015 for no-cost transfers for affordable housing.

Discussion Items

  • Public Hearing – YWCA Right-of-Way Vacation (S. 10th Ave): The hearing examiner recommended approval of the vacation with a $70,000 payment. After public testimony, the Council discussed the fee. A motion to waive all charges failed 4-3 (Berg, Brown, Byers, Roy no; Deccio, Glenn, Herrera yes). A subsequent motion to approve the vacation with the $70,000 fee passed 6-1 (Glenn no). Ordinance 2024-028 adopted.
  • Department Item A – Columbia Ridge Homes Right-of-Way Vacation (N. 92nd Ave): A motion to approve the ordinance as presented failed 4-3 (Berg, Brown, Herrera, Roy no; Byers, Deccio, Glenn yes). Amid discussion, the Council voted to remand the vacation back to the Hearing Examiner for additional testimony on public benefit, consistency with city plans, zoning, and sole access. The amended motion passed 7-0.
  • Department Item B – Tourism Promotion Area Ordinance: The Council adopted Ordinance 2024-029, amending Chapter 5.99 to incorporate House Bill 2137 changes, including exemptions for medical housing and inclusion of recreational vehicles and temporary lodging. Passed 7-0.
  • Department Item C – Long-term Parking Permits: The Council passed Ordinance 2024-030, increasing the percentage of permits from 40% to 60% of total available stalls, allowing permit holders to park in any city lot. Passed 7-0.
  • Department Item D – Shopping Cart Regulations: Ordinance 2024-031 amended Section 6.27, making it a civil infraction ($50 fine) to operate or possess a shopping cart on public rights-of-way or in parks, and allowing immediate impoundment. A motion to waive the $115 impoundment fee for businesses failed for lack of a second. The ordinance passed 6-1 (Glenn no).
  • Department Item E – Shopping Cart Fee Schedule: Resolution R-2024-192 updated the Master Fee Schedule to include the $50 infraction penalty. Passed 7-0.
  • Department Item F – Opioid Settlement Funds for Community Court Case Manager: Resolution R-2024-193 authorized dedicating opioid settlement money to fund a 75% time case manager for five years (with option to extend five more) for the Municipal Community Court diversion program. Passed 7-0.
  • Budget Review Session (Item 10): The Council heard presentations from Civil Division (Legal), Transit, Engineering/Office of Neighborhood Services, Planning, Code Administration, and Fire Department (including SunCom). No votes were taken; the presentations provided transparency for upcoming budget decisions.

Key Outcomes

  • YWCA Right-of-Way Vacation: Approved with $70,000 payment (Ordinance 2024-028, vote 6-1).
  • Columbia Ridge Homes Vacation: Remanded to Hearing Examiner for additional testimony (vote 7-0).
  • Tourism Promotion Area Ordinance: Adopted (Ordinance 2024-029, 7-0).
  • Long-term Parking Permits: Increased to 60% of total stalls (Ordinance 2024-030, 7-0).
  • Shopping Cart Regulations: New infraction and impoundment rules (Ordinance 2024-031, 6-1).
  • Shopping Cart Fee Schedule: Adopted (R-2024-192, 7-0).
  • Opioid Settlement Case Manager: Approved for five years (R-2024-193, 7-0).
  • Consent Agenda: Approved with items L and M separately approved (all 7-0).
  • Next Meeting: City Council study session on October 22, 2024, at 5:00 p.m.

Meeting Transcript

Good evening and welcome, and I will reconvene the Yakima City Council meeting of October 15th, 2024. And before we get going, I do need to make an announcement. That is that due to technical difficulties, tonight's city council meeting will not be broadcast live on Spectrum Cable Channel 194. It will be streamed live on the City of Yacima website at www.yakimawa.gov forward slash council forward slash agendas dash and dash minutes. Rolls right off the writes up. You can get all that down, you can watch it live. All right. Thank you. Now how roll call, please. Berg. Here. Brown. Here. By ears. Present. DCO. Here. Glenn. Here. Herrera. Here. Roy. Yes. Thank you. Please rise and join me for the Pledge of Allegiance. Again. I've led your reasons. And to the Republic for which one. You'll have interpreter services. Thank you. Good evening. Paracayos can necesiten the assistencia de un interprete. Les commandes at Sistema y estoy aquí disponible para hacerlo. Gracias. Gracias. Thank you. Next on the agenda is public comment. There will be 35 minutes allowed for public comment this evening, with two and a half minutes allowed for anyone who wishes to speak. If you want to speak during public comment, please make sure you fill out a form from the table in the lobby and turn it in to the city clerk. As you come to the microphone, please uh give us your name and the city in which you live. Okay, great. So the first person we have is Margaret Filkins. Hi, my name is Margaret Philkins, and I live and work in the City of Yakima. I appreciate your time this evening to hear my concerns about the current parking permit and renewal situation in downtown city lots. We recently learned that people with a current parking pass cannot renew their existing City of Yakima parking passes because there's a waiting list. Employers will be impacted by missing staff, potential expectation to pay tickets if their employee could not leave in time, and also the inconvenience for clients or customers, as well as the challenge of hiring staff who cannot afford to pay parking lot play parking lot route roulette or risk a ticket. So my questions and concerns are as followed. When I applied for a permit, I gave a credit card number, and I was under the uh understanding that I would auto-renew. I only found out that that wasn't the case when we tried to change the credit card and update it and found out that we no longer had a valid parking permit. If we hadn't tried to make that change, we would have been faced with a ticket.

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