Yakima City Council Regular Meeting - October 20, 2026

The Yakima City Council held its regular meeting on Tuesday, October 20, 2026, beginning at 5:30 p.m. in City Hall Council Chambers after a 5:00 p.m. executive session on pending litigation. The agenda also reserved 6:00 p.m. for public hearings, but none were held. The council approved routine items, adopted resolutions on the Lodging Tax Advisory Committee and Sixth Avenue grant funding, heard public comment on Flock/surveillance and the trolley restoration, and set up future agenda items on live-feed camera policy and special event permits.

Consent Calendar

• Approved the October 6, 2026 City Council regular meeting minutes.
• Approved payment of disbursements for September 1–30, 2026.
• Approved a resolution authorizing the application for and acceptance, if awarded, of a $68,140 Edward Byrne Memorial Justice Assistance Grant (JAG) for FY2026.
• Approved a resolution authorizing an interlocal agreement with the Washington Traffic Safety Commission for a law enforcement liaison for regional traffic safety activities.
• Approved a resolution authorizing an extension and amendment to the agreement with Kite Med Consultants, LLC for inmate health care services at the Yakima detention facility.
• The consent agenda was approved by a 7-0 roll call vote.

Public Comments & Testimony

• Brian Korst expressed opposition to Flock surveillance cameras, saying they raise government transparency, accountability, and privacy concerns, and urged the council to "ban Flock."
• Amanda, a Yakima County resident, criticized the council for spending ARPA COVID relief funds on subscription-based mass surveillance while saying there was not enough money for economic development, roads, sidewalks, pools, parks, treatment centers, schools, or libraries. She questioned how future camera costs would be paid and why council members credited doctors and retired police but not Yakima residents.
• Zach Galland summarized a federal court decision limiting Flock searches, stating the court found warrantless ALPR location tracking to be a Fourth Amendment search requiring a warrant and warning against dragnet surveillance. He urged the council to cancel Flock, ALPR, and live-camera contracts or at least conduct a public audit and vote.
• An additional speaker raised concerns about a stormwater/water right claim in the Selah area and an unsigned community crosswalk resolution, saying the city had not acted on the water right claim.
• Ann Knapp, a Yakima resident, questioned the Yakima Valley Trolleys' stated $5 million fundraising target for restoring service from Selah to Yakima. Citing an HLA Engineering estimate, she said the Sixth Avenue portion could cost $8.4 million for 1.5 miles, extrapolating to about $22.4 million to Selah, or $5.6 million per mile, and asked that the city avoid false, misleading, or deceptive fundraising statements. She also noted the trolley is a seasonal tourist attraction that does not qualify for transportation funding.

Council Reports and City Manager Update

• Councilmember Byers reported on the FIRA agricultural technology conference in Yakima, said the conference will return to Yakima in 2028, and noted that a robotics company, Reservoir, is planning to locate in the Yakima Valley.
• Byers attended the inauguration of Teresa Rich as the 17th president of Yakima Valley College.
• Byers reported that H5N1 avian influenza was confirmed in dairy cattle on two Yakima County farms on October 6, 2026—the first known cattle detection in Washington state. As of the meeting, nine dairies were affected; one worker contracted the virus from cattle and is recovering, with no human-to-human transmission confirmed. Multiple agencies are monitoring workers and cattle daily.
• The City Manager said the Washington State Transportation Commission visited Yakima and toured the mill site; a state accountability audit begins Thursday; and budget public hearings are scheduled for November 10 and 17, 2026.
• Gary, an economic development staff member, explained the multi-year effort to bring FIRA to Yakima, noting the conference drew about 400 attendees on its first day in Davis, California last year and 1,000 in the first hour in Yakima. He said Yakima provides 75% of the nation's hops and that the conference could help expand agricultural robotics and technology in the valley.

Department Items

• Lodging Tax Advisory Committee: A resolution amending Resolution R-2015-155 to reduce the committee size and amend quorum requirements was adopted 7-0. The minimum quorum will be two hotel/motel representatives, two city provider representatives, and the city representative.
• Sixth Avenue Roadway Project: A resolution accepting a $320,000 Washington State Department of Transportation Sandy Williams grant for design of a roundabout at the intersection of Sixth Avenue and Fruitvale was adopted 7-0. The grant requires no city match, is design-only, and cannot be used for trolley features; it also positions the city for a future construction-phase grant application.

Other Business

• The council suspended its rules and adopted a resolution repealing portions of Resolution R-2026-106 and repealing Resolution R-2026-107 in its entirety. Councilmember Patricus explained this corrected a procedural error: the earlier action had amended the comprehensive plan without following the separate required procedure, while the TIP amendment remains intact. The vote was 7-0.
• After further discussion, the council suspended the rules by a 5-2 vote to discuss live-feed surveillance cameras. Deputy Mayor Berg moved to revoke authorization for all fixed live-feed cameras on city property and rights-of-way, remove and return county-owned cameras, end city access to feeds, bar replacements without council approval, allow mobile units only at events such as parades and festivals, and exclude license plate readers that do not stream live video.
• A point of order was raised that voting on an off-agenda action would require a separate suspension or a future agenda item. The council then amended the motion by a 6-1 vote to direct staff to prepare a resolution containing the proposed policy, and approved the amended motion by a 5-2 vote, placing it on the November 2, 2026 agenda.
• Councilmember Byers moved to add to a January 2027 agenda a staff presentation on the current special event permit requirements, including exemptions and exceptions, followed by a city council discussion. The motion passed by voice vote.

Key Outcomes

• Consent agenda adopted 7-0.
• Lodging Tax Advisory Committee quorum resolution adopted 7-0.
• Sixth Avenue design grant accepted 7-0.
• Resolution repealing portions of R-2026-106 and all of R-2026-107 adopted 7-0.
• Staff directed to prepare a live-feed camera policy resolution for the November 2, 2026 meeting; amended motion passed 5-2.
• January 2027 agenda item added for special event permit requirements.
• The meeting adjourned to the next regular council meeting on Monday, November 2, 2026, at 5:30 p.m. in City Hall Council Chambers.