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Home My WebLink About02/17/2026 Business Meeting142 YAKIMA CITY COUNCIL MINUTES February 17, 2026 City Hall - Council Chambers - 129 N 2nd Street, Yakima WA 5:30 PM City Council Regular Meeting - Conducted in person and virtually via Zoom 1) Roll Call The meeting was called to order at 5:32 p.m. Present: Mayor Matt Brown, presiding; Assistant Mayor Reedy Berg and Councilmembers Patricia Byers, Rick Glenn, Felisa Gonzalez, Juliet Potrykus and Leo Roy Staff: City Manager Vicki Baker, City Attorney Sara Watkins and City Clerk Rosalinda I barra 2) Pledge of Allegiance Mayor Brown led the Pledge of Allegiance. 3) Interpreter Services Mayor Brown introduced Jorge Villasenor who announced interpreter services are available in Spanish. 4) Public Comment Joan Walsh, City resident; and Lulu Dufault, non -City resident; spoke in support of the Yakima Valley Trolleys. Michelle Hotchko, City resident, spoke in favor of Lions Pool, Joseph Kopsick (via Zoom), City resident, spoke about tax revenue collection. 5) Open Discussion for the Good of the Order None. 6) Council Reports None. 7) Consent Agenda Mayor Brown referred to the items placed on the Consent Agenda, questioning whether there were any additions or deletions from Council members present. Item J was removed from the Consent Agenda. The City Clerk read the Consent Agenda items, including resolutions and ordinances, by title. (Items on the Consent Agenda are handled under one motion without further discussion -see motion directly below.) MOTION: Berg moved and Byers seconded to approve the consent agenda (as amended). The motion carried by a 7-0 roll call vote. February 17, 2026 - Yakima City Coun eeting Minutes Page 1 of 5 143 7.A Approval of minutes from the February 3, 2026 Council regular meeting and February 10, 2026 Council study session 7.B Approve payment of disbursements for the period January 1-31, 2026 7.0 January 2026 Investment Transaction Report 7.D Project Completion and Contract Acceptance with Washington Roofing Solutions LLC for Fire Station 94 Re -Roofing Project 2851 7.E Project Completion and Contract Acceptance with Central Washington Asphalt for 2024 Northside Alley Paving Project 2759 7.F Project Completion and Contract Acceptance with Iron Horse LLC for Project SC2819 2025 Wastewater Collection System Rehabilitation 7.G Project Completion and Contract Acceptance with Interwest Construction Inc for Project SC2783 Maclaren Vicinity Wastewater Improvements 7.H Resolution accepting and approving 4th Quarter 2025 Claim Report RESOLUTION NO. R-2026-024, A RESOLUTION accepting and approving the 4th Quarter 2025 Claim Report for the City of Yakima. 7.1 Resolution approving an agreement with the Yakima Herald -Republic for legal advertising services RESOLUTION NO. R-2026-025, A RESOLUTION approving an annual agreement with the Yakima Herald -Republic for legal advertising services. 7.J This item was removed from the Consent Agenda 7.K Resolution authorizing an Interlocal Agreement between SunComm and Yakima County Technology Services for network equipment maintenance and repair RESOLUTION NO. R-2026-027, A RESOLUTION authorizing an interlocal agreement with Yakima County Technology Services for network equipment maintenance and repair on the Spillman Computer Aided Dispatch workstations. 7.L Resolution authorizing an Equitable Sharing Agreement and Certification with the United States Department of Justice RESOLUTION NO. R-2026-028, A RESOLUTION authorizing an Equitable Sharing Agreement and Certification with the United States Department of Justice. 7.M Ordinance amending the Yakima Municipal Code Section 1.06.010 Meetings of the City Council ORDINANCE NO. 2026 004, AN ORDINANCE amending the City of Yakima Municipal Code Section 1.06.010 Meetings of the city council. Item Removed from the Consent Agenda 7.J Resolution authorizing an Interlocal Agreement with Washington Traffic Safety Commission to provide funding for a law enforcement liaison program Lt. Ira Cavin briefed Council on the proposed resolution. The City Clerk read the resolution by title only. MOTION: Byers moved and Berg seconded to approve the resolution for Item J. The motion carried by a 7-0 roll call vote. RESOLUTION NO. R-2026-026, A RESOLUTION authorizing an Interlocal Agreement with the Washington Traffic Safety Commission for funding a Law Enforcement Liaison. February 17, 2026 — Yakima City Council Meeting Minutes Page 2 of 5 144 8) Public Hearings 8.A Public Hearing and Ordinance relating to Material Changes for the Transportation Benefit District (TBD) project list Community Development Director Bill Preston briefed Council on the proposed ordinance related to material changes affecting the Transportation Benefit District project list. He described funding options and proposed schedule for consideration. Mayor Brown opened the public hearing. The following individuals provided comments and testimony: Josh Zeigler, Aileen Kane, Barry Bernfeld, Pattie Graffe (Selah Downtown Association), Nancy Davis, Greg Johnsen, Joan Walsh, Dave Cox (Northern Pacific Railway Museum), Maria Ramos, Stephen Rechtlen, David Foster, Badger Wentworth, and Brian Korst. With no one else coming forward or calling in to speak, Mayor Brown closed the public hearing. After extensive Council discussion, MOTION: Potrykus moved and Glenn seconded that no Transportation Benefit District (TBD) funds shall be used for the repair, replacement, relocation, installation, or re -installation of trolley rail infrastructure as part of the 6th Avenue project. The motion carried by a 5-2 roll call vote; with Byers and Gonzalez voting no. After further Council discussion, the City Clerk read the ordinance by title only and Council took the following action related to passage of the ordinance: MOTION: Byers moved and Berg seconded to choose the option that removes the trolley tracks from the TBD list and move forward with the .01% sales tax. The motion carried by a 6-1 roll call vote; with Gonzalez voting no. ORDINANCE NO. 2026-005, AN ORDINANCE of the City of Yakima, Washington, relating to a Transportation Benefit District; updating project costs for the transportation improvements to be funded by the district. MOTION: Brown moved and Berg seconded to place on a April Council meeting agenda a discussion regarding a proposed charter amendment to permanently prohibit City Council members from imposing a car tab fee, in any form, and direct the City Attorney to prepare proposed Charter language for that meeting. The motion carried by unanimous vote. 9) Department Items 9.A Ordinance establishing a 0.1 % sales tax for the Transportation Benefit District Community Development Director Bill Preston briefed the Council on the proposed ordinance to establish a 0.1 % sales tax for the Transportation Benefit District. The City Clerk read the ordinance by title only. MOTION: Byers moved and Berg seconded to approve the ordinance. The motion carried by a 7-0 roll call vote. ORDINANCE NO. 2026-006, AN ORDINANCE of the City of Yakima, Washington, adding a new Section, 3.78.062 to the Yakima Municipal Code imposing an additional sales and use tax of one -tenth of one percent within the boundaries of the City of Yakima Transportation Benefit District for the purpose February 17, 2026 — Yakima City Council Meeting Minutes Page 3 of 5 145 of financing the costs associated with transportation improvements in the district as authorized by the Revised Code of Washington. 9.B Ordinance repealing the $20 car tab fee Community Development Director Bill Preston briefed the Council on the proposed ordinance to repeal the $20 car tab fee. The City Clerk read the ordinance by title only. MOTION: Byers moved and Berg seconded to pass the ordinance. The motion carried by a 7-0 roll call vote. ORDINANCE NO. 2026-007, AN ORDINANCE of the City of Yakima, Washington repealing Ordinance No. 2017-033 which established an annual vehicle license fee. 9.0 Resolution authorizing an Interlocal Agreement with Yakima County Fire District #4, East Valley Fire Dept. for temporary access and use of City Knox Box Master Keys Yakima Fire Chief Aaron Markham briefed Council on the proposed resolution that will allow Yakima County Fire District #4 to utilize the city's master key during emergencies to gain access to Knox boxes located within the City of Union Gap. The City Clerk read the resolution by title only. MOTION: Berg moved and Byers seconded to adopt the resolution. The motion carried by a 7-0 roll call vote. RESOLUTION NO. R-2026-029, A RESOLUTION authorizing an Interlocal Agreement with Yakima County Fire District #4 for temporary use of City Knox Box master keys. 9.D Resolution authorizing application for grants from the Washington State Department of Transportation (WSDOT) and the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) Director of Yakima Air Terminal Christopher Hopkins briefed Council on the proposed resolution authorizing the City to apply for grant funding for improvements to the crosswind runway at the Yakima Air Terminal. The City Clerk read the resolution by title only. MOTION: Berg moved and Byers seconded to adopt the resolution. The motion carried by a 7-0 roll call vote. RESOLUTION NO. R-2026-030, A RESOLUTION authorizing application for grants from the Washington State Department of Transportation (WSDOT) and the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) for construction of the crosswind runway, a capital improvement project at the Yakima Air Terminal -McAllister Field. 9.E Discussion regarding the Request For Interest (RFI) letters for the operation of Washington Fruit Community Center and Harman Senior Center Parks & Recreation Manager Ken Wilkinson briefed Council on the proposed draft Letters of Interest to solicit interest from organizations to manage and operate the Washington Fruit Community Center and Harman Senior Center. The Washington Fruit Community Center is budgeted until June 30, 2026, and February 17, 2026 — Yakima City Council Meeting Minutes Page 4 of 5 146 the Harman Senior Center is budgeted until December 31, 2026. The letters of interest would be used to initiate the Request for Proposal (RFP) bid process. No action from the Council was required to move forward at this time. 10) City Manager Update 10.A Preview of upcoming topics City Manager Vicki Baker provided updates to Council regarding fundraising efforts for Lions Pool and noted that currently no sales tax funds are available to fund park maintenance and Lions Pool. State Representative Chris Corry submitted a budget proviso for Lions Pool. The city has been in ongoing discussions with the YMCA to help fill the community needs. Further updates will be provided in March when the pool has closed and maintenance costs are better determined. Mrs. Baker mentioned that the three -business meeting format change approved by Council will be implemented in April and will include an open discussion section. She also provided a brief preview of upcoming topics related to Council's Principles of Conduct and Code of Ethics, engineering and licensing fees, capital improvements projects, and infrastructure updates. 11) Other Business MOTION: Byers moved and Berg seconded to bring to some future Council meetings, over the next two or three months, a discussion about the Charter and suggested changes for Council. The motion carried by unanimous vote. MOTION: Berg moved and Brown seconded to add to a business meeting in March or April a discussion regarding enforcement of YMC Chapter 6.91 (Unlawful Camping Ordinance) on all public property. The motion carried by unanimous vote. 12) Adjournment MOTION: Byers moved and Berg seconded to adjourn to the next City Council regular meeting on March 3, 2026, at 5:30 p.m. in the City Hall Council Chambers. The motion carried by unanimous vote. The meeting adjourned at 7:46 p.m. CERTIFICATION READ AND CERTIFIED ACCURATE BY AIIEST: February 17, 2026 —Yakima City Council Meeting Minutes Page 5 of 5