OPENPUBLICA · PUBLIC MEETING RECORD
Record of Proceedings

Yakima City Council Regular Meeting - December 10, 2024

City Council — Tuesday, December 10, 2024
BodyYakima, Washington
SessionCity Council
DateTuesday, December 10, 2024
StatusFILED
Video Record
0:00 / 1:27:44

Transcript — Verbatim
2:54

Good evening.

2:55

I'm here to call together the uh Yagana Vision.

3:01

Your mic's on.

3:02

Your mic.

3:04

We need some we're calling the meeting to order.

3:06

There you go.

3:07

We are calling the meeting to order.

3:11

Thank you.

3:11

We'll start with roll call, please.

3:14

Here.

3:15

Brown.

3:16

Here.

3:16

Buyers.

3:17

Present.

3:19

Here.

3:19

Glenn.

3:20

Here.

3:21

Herrera?

3:21

Here.

3:22

Really?

3:23

Here.

3:24

Thank you.

3:25

All right, please stand and join me for the Pledge of Allegiance.

3:31

I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America.

3:36

And to the Republic for which you stand one nation, another God.

3:49

How have interpreter services?

4:01

So I keep disponible radio.

4:04

So I have the readers.

4:12

If you wish to uh talk with the council, you'll need to fill out a slip in the lobby and bring it here to the city clerk.

4:18

You'll have two and a half minutes.

4:20

When you come to the microphone, please state your name and the city in which you live.

4:26

I got it.

4:27

The first person is Joe Daniels.

4:36

I'd like to read a couple of Bible speakers.

4:38

Romans 15.

4:39

Everything written in the past were was written to teach us.

4:43

The scriptures give us strength to go on.

4:45

They encourage us to and give us hope.

5:00

She is the God and mother of our Lord Jesus Christ.

5:02

2 Timothy 3, and I'll be done.

5:04

God has breathed life into all scripture.

5:06

It is useful for teaching us what is true.

5:09

It is useful for correcting our mistakes.

5:14

This is useful for training us to do what is right.

5:16

By using scripture, the servant of God can be completely prepared to do everything good.

5:22

Thank you.

5:22

Thank you, Mr.

5:23

Daniels.

5:25

Next we have Joe Mann.

5:40

Sorry, it took me a while to walk up here.

5:42

All right.

5:43

Good evening, Council, City Staff.

5:45

I want to talk about 9B, the DYB ID, the downtown beautification.

5:53

Um I appreciate the city act acting as a pass through to receive those funds because all those funds come from property owners and business owners.

6:01

And these property owners and business owners contribute annually to keeping the core of our downtown looking beautiful.

6:10

And without those funds, I don't know what we would be like.

6:14

And so I think there's a beautiful job done.

6:16

Those business owners and property owners are proud of their downtown, and that's why they contribute extra dollars to make it look extra special.

6:25

I know last council there was a thing about North Front Street, and they were using some of their association fees to buy banners to advertise their area.

6:37

And there's a question from some of the uh council as to what those banners were and what they were advertising and so forth.

Discussion Breakdown — Share of Meeting
Procedural██████████████████18%
Community Engagement█████████████13%
Downtown Management████████████12%
Substance Use Disorder██████████10%
Public Engagement█████████9%
Homelessness████████8%
Public Safety██████6%
Budget Equity Analysis████4%
Engineering And Infrastructure███3%
Summary of Proceedings

Yakima City Council Regular Meeting - December 10, 2024

The Yakima City Council held a regular meeting on December 10, 2024, at 5:30 PM in City Hall Council Chambers, chaired by Mayor Patricia Byers. The meeting included public comment, consent agenda items, and several department discussions and resolutions. Key actions included approving appointments, authorizing contracts for a roundabout project, creating an ad hoc budget committee, and adopting resolutions related to opioid settlement funds and a community diversion court. The council also voted to schedule future discussions on homelessness and land use topics.

Consent Calendar

  • Approved minutes from the December 3, 2024 regular meeting.
  • Set a public hearing for January 7, 2025, on an Interlocal Agreement for the 2024 Justice Assistance Grant (JAG) Program.
  • Approved payment of disbursements for November 2024 ($various)
  • Accepted November 2024 Investment Transaction Report.
  • Accepted project completion for S. 2nd Avenue Water Main Replacement (Tri-Valley Construction Inc.) and Convention & Event Center Bathroom Remodel (Kitt Construction & Development LLC).
  • Adopted resolutions updating financial policies 3-190 (Financial Management Policy) and 3-200 (Fund Balance for General Fund & Operating Reserve).
  • Authorized agreements for: Connetix Engineering (Wastewater Treatment Plant SCADA upgrade), CDBG funding for Aquatic Center at MLK Jr. Park, Interlocal with Washington Traffic Safety Commission (law enforcement liaison), lease with Yakima MSA Limited Partnership (Fire Station 93 tower space), BERK Consulting (Comprehensive Plan Periodic Update and Climate Resilience/Transportation Plan), and a CARB loan application for Yakima Air Terminal.
  • Adopted ordinances: 2024 Budget amendment (second reading), Comprehensive Plan amendment and rezone for 2300 E. Birch Street, and employee Classification and Compensation Plan update (effective January 13, 2025).
  • Items I, J, and S were removed from the consent agenda for separate discussion.

Public Comments & Testimony

  • Joe Daniels, City resident, read religious passages from Romans 15 and 2 Timothy 3.
  • Joe Mann, downtown business owner, expressed strong support for the DYBID downtown beautification program, noting that property owners and businesses contribute annually to keep the core attractive and that the city acts as a pass-through for those funds.
  • Jeanna Hernandez, City resident, encouraged the council to focus on setting policy rather than micromanaging smaller-dollar items, especially when larger issues like public safety are at stake.

Discussion Items

  • Adopt-A-Block Program (Item 9A): City Manager Vicki Baker, IT analyst Randy Bonds, and Habitat for Humanity Executive Director Meloney Rosen presented a concept for a public-private partnership to allow residents and organizations to adopt blocks for cleaning and neighborhood revitalization. The program would use an online platform to track adoptions, and Habitat for Humanity could offer volunteer coordination and potential future services like painting and home repairs. The council discussed the potential for community engagement and partnership with existing programs. No formal action was taken; the program is in early development.
  • DYBID Maintenance Options (Item 9B): City Manager Baker presented alternative options for downtown maintenance currently provided by DAY (Downtown Association of Yakima) under a $175,000 annual contract (expiring 2028). Additional city costs (irrigation, flowers, police presence) total approximately $265,000 annually. Quotes from three contractors were: Hillbilly Haulers ($200,355/year), Profession Landscaping ($229,920/year), and Senski ($295,000/year). An in-house estimate via Clean Cities was $223,600/year (including two new positions). Councilmember Brown moved to send the options to the DYBID advisory group for feedback and report back in 45 days; the motion carried unanimously.
  • Ad Hoc Budget Advisory Committee (Item 9C): City Attorney Sara Watkins presented a resolution to create a seven-member committee appointed by each council member, with members preferably having professional experience in budget, public finance, or government budgets. The committee would advise on priority-based budgeting, revenue options, and outreach. The resolution was adopted 7-0.
  • Opioid Settlement Resolution (Item 9D): Senior Assistant City Attorney Cynthia Martinez presented a resolution rescinding previous Resolution R-2024-193 and authorizing $419,591 in opioid settlement money for the Community Diversion Court over five years (with a five-year extension option), specifying Opioid Abatement Strategies B and D3. The resolution was adopted 7-0.
  • People for People Agreement (Item 9E): Martinez presented a resolution authorizing a contract with People for People to provide assessment, case management, treatment referral, and return-to-work programming for the Community Diversion Court through December 2029. The resolution was adopted 7-0.
  • Burning Material Ordinance (Item 9F): Martinez presented an ordinance amending Municipal Code Section 6.56.050 to modernize language and improve enforcement of unlawful burning on public property. The ordinance was adopted 7-0.

Key Outcomes

  • Appointments Approved: The Council Nominating Committee's recommendations for the Yakima Arts Commission (Margot Stroop, Kimberly Ruck) and Lodging Tax Advisory Committee (Charles Robin, Luis Gutierrez, Lisa Vallejo) were approved by unanimous vote.
  • Roundabout Project Contracts Authorized: Resolutions R-2024-217 and R-2024-218 were approved 7-0, authorizing agreements with HLA Engineering & Land Surveying Inc. (construction management) and TTC Construction Inc. (construction) for the 34th Avenue/Fruitvale/River Road Roundabouts Project. The project is 100% grant-funded through multiple state and federal grants.
  • Public Improvements Ordinance Amended: Ordinance No. 2024-046, amending Municipal Code Chapters 12.01 and 12.20 relating to construction of public improvements, was passed 7-0 after removing a section that was inadvertently included.
  • Future Homelessness Discussion: Councilmember Glenn's motion to schedule a future discussion on homelessness, including drug issues and safety, was approved unanimously.
  • Future Land Use Study Session: Mayor Byers' motion to schedule a study session on land use basics, middle housing legislation, and the comprehensive plan process was approved unanimously.
  • Next Meeting: The council will hold a study session on December 17, 2024, at 5:00 PM in City Hall Council Chambers.

Meeting Transcript

Good evening. I'm here to call together the uh Yagana Vision. Your mic's on. Your mic. We need some we're calling the meeting to order. There you go. We are calling the meeting to order. Thank you. We'll start with roll call, please. Here. Brown. Here. Buyers. Present. Here. Glenn. Here. Herrera? Here. Really? Here. Thank you. All right, please stand and join me for the Pledge of Allegiance. I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America. And to the Republic for which you stand one nation, another God. How have interpreter services? So I keep disponible radio. So I have the readers. If you wish to uh talk with the council, you'll need to fill out a slip in the lobby and bring it here to the city clerk. You'll have two and a half minutes. When you come to the microphone, please state your name and the city in which you live. I got it. The first person is Joe Daniels. I'd like to read a couple of Bible speakers. Romans 15. Everything written in the past were was written to teach us. The scriptures give us strength to go on. They encourage us to and give us hope. She is the God and mother of our Lord Jesus Christ. 2 Timothy 3, and I'll be done. God has breathed life into all scripture. It is useful for teaching us what is true. It is useful for correcting our mistakes. This is useful for training us to do what is right. By using scripture, the servant of God can be completely prepared to do everything good. Thank you. Thank you, Mr. Daniels. Next we have Joe Mann. Sorry, it took me a while to walk up here.

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