HomeMy WebLinkAbout03/11/2014 04A Minutes 02-10-2014 Council Partnerships CommitteeCommittee Meeting Minutes
Yakima City Council
Partnerships Committee
Monday, February 10th, 2014
Members in attendance:
- Mayor Micah Cawley
- Council Member Dave Ettl
- Council Member Maureen Adkison
City of Yakima staff in attendance:
- City Manager Tony O'Rourke
- Comm. & Public Affairs Dir. Randy Beehler
Mayor Cawley called the meeting to order at 11:03 am.
- Election of Chair
Mayor Cawley noted that a new chair of the committee needed to be elected. Mayor Cawley
nominated Council Member Adkison to serve as committee chair. Council Member Ettl seconded
the motion. Adkison was unanimously chosen to serve as committee chair.
- Presentation by Yakima Union Gospel Mission re: Request for Letter of Support
Adkison introduced Yakima Union Gospel Mission Executive Director Rick Phillips, who was to
address the committee regarding his organization's request for a letter of support from the Council
concerning a grant application. Phillips explained that demand on the Mission's Medical Care Clinic
has continued to grow, necessitating expansion of the clinic. Phillips noted that the Mission's
application for a $1.5 million grant from the Federal Home Loan Bank of San Francisco will be
evaluated, in part, on "points" accumulated a number of ways including garnering community
support. He said a letter from the Council supporting the Mission's application would boost its
chances for success. Phillips said the clinic has saved local hospital's an estimated $1.5 million by
not having to provide services to man poor and homeless patients that, instead, have been treated
at the clinic. Phillips also said that the clinic has benefitted tremendously from the donation of time
by volunteer medical professionals. In 2013, the value of that volunteer time was estimated to be
$350,000. In addition to the pending grant request, the Mission will also conduct a local capital
campaign to generating funding for the estimated $3 million project, which also includes expansion
of the Mission's Long Term Housing Complex.
Cawley moved the committee recommend to the Council that it provide a letter of support for the
Mission's grant application. Adkison seconded the motion. The motion passed unanimously.
- Update on State Leqislative Activity
Based on information prepared by the City's Olympia lobbyist, Jim Justin, Communications & Public
Affairs Director Randy Beehler reviewed the status of several pieces of legislation that have been
considered during the current session of the Washington State Legislature. Among the legislation
that had not made it out of committee was a bill banning breed -specific dog regulations (Yakima
opposes), a bill naming the Central Washington State Fair the "Official Washington State Fair"
(Yakima supports), and a bill restricting public disclosure of certain information gathered during 911
calls (Yakima supports). Items still active as of the date of the meeting included a bill creating
funding for statewide tourism promotion (Yakima supports), a bill creating special liquor licenses for
fairs (Yakima supports), a bill creating funding for indigent defense (Yakima supports), a bill
prohibiting local jurisdictions from banning the production, processing, or sale of recreational
marijuana (Yakima opposes), and a bill restoring some resources to the Public Works Assistance
Account (Yakima supports). A further update will be provided to the full Council at its February 18th
business meeting.
The meeting was adjourned at 11:45 am.