Speaker numbers apply only to this recording. Names come from transcript evidence. “Possibly” marks uncertain attribution.
The Yakima City Council held a regular meeting on November 2, 2026, at City Hall in Yakima, Washington. The primary focus of the meeting was a resolution to regulate Automated Video Analytics Systems (AVAS), including live-feed cameras, which generated extensive public testimony and debate. The council also received briefings on the comprehensive plan update and a budget amendment.
The majority of public comment focused on the proposed AVAS resolution and the use of Flock cameras and ALPRs.
Council Reports – Councilmember Byers' Statement: Councilmember Byers read a prepared statement regarding council procedures. She criticized the suspension of rules for urgent votes on items like the Flock camera letters, stating it eroded trust. She addressed the public commenters directly, acknowledging their presence and stating she had reviewed their materials, while noting the difficulty of balancing the voices heard.
6A. Resolution Adopting Policies on Automated Video Analytics Systems (AVAS) The council debated a resolution to ban live-feed cameras.
9A. Briefing on the Comprehensive Plan Periodic Update Planning Manager Trevor Martin briefed the council on delays in the Comprehensive Plan update. He expressed concern that the Planning Commission was spending excessive time on minor stylistic issues (capitalization, hyphenation) as the December 31, 2026 state deadline approached. Council members agreed that minor edits could be corrected as Scrivener errors and urged staff to move the process forward to the scheduled December 8th public hearing for adoption.
9B. Ordinance Amending the 2026 Budget (First Reading) Finance Director Craig Warner presented the first reading of a budget amendment totaling approximately $6.8 million in new revenues and $2.3 million in fund balance appropriations. Key highlights include:
Items A through I were approved by one motion. Councilmember Gonzalez pulled item 7G for discussion. Approved items included:
Clerk, roll call, please. Here Brown? Here. Fire? Present. Glenn? Here. Gonzalez? Here. Patrick's here. Roy. Here. All right. Indivisible. Liberty and that's just for all the time. Oh, yes. Language connection and we're here to provide interpreting services during the meeting. Somebody needs some. Thank you. I will move to open discussion for the good of the order. Is there anything council? Yes. I do, thank you. I came with something I wanted to read just because I want to keep myself on track. So I want to discuss the council procedures tonight. And it seems an appropriate place on the agenda. So first I want to say that when I took my oath of office to support the Constitution of the United States of America and the Constitution and Laws of the State of Washington and the Charter and Ordinances of the City of Yacoma, I did so impartially to discharge my duties of the Office of Council Member of Yakima Washington, according to the best of my ability, so help me God. People often forget the words impartially discharge, and to the best of my ability, and so help me God. As an elected official, I often interpret impartial as nonpartisan. I am a Republican, I am a conservative, but I also understand my role in a nonpartisan office requires a broader view of what I consider to be best for the city of Yacoma. I'm also a Christian and a person of much prayer. As such, I rely on my relationship with God for guidance in almost everything I do in my life, and that is what I'm doing here tonight. These last two weeks especially, I have focused my discussions with people in the community and with God on two critical issues. The first is council procedures, and the second is flock cameras. Both uh both licensed white readers and live cameras. These are the words that God impressed upon me. You can know what is right, but you must do what is right. What I know is right for council is to follow its own policy and procedures. Lately we have not done a good job of that, and we must. Because uh, if we don't, it erodes trust among council members and therefore among our constituents as well. Examples I would offer are for one member of council to spring unannounced and unexpected information on council and then call for a suspension of the rules to get immediate action from the council. Um examples are letters to the uh letter to businesses, a resolution for cruise nights, and a sudden reverse loan and vote just previously acted on by council in good faith. An act of good governance is to allow for an appropriate amount of time to thoroughly study an issue before a final vote.