[0:18] But you can't open it from this laptop

[0:21] that's attached to that.

[0:24] » Yeah, you're good. But you'd have to go

[0:26] I'd have to one of us has to go put our

[0:28] controller

[0:29] » Yeah.

[0:32] » We'll do it when

[0:34] » Okay.

[0:35] Looks good. Okay. Whenever you're ready.

[0:37] » Okay. Let's call the meeting to order at

[0:39] 6:02. If you'll all stand for the Pledge

[0:41] of Allegiance.

[0:43] I pledge

[0:43] » Allegiance to the flag of the United

[0:45] States of America and to the republic

[0:49] for which it stands, one nation under

[0:51] God, indivisible, with liberty and

[0:54] justice for all.

[0:55] » You may be seated.

[0:58] Perkins, call the roll, please. Smith.

[1:01] » Here.

[1:01] » Wolfcale.

[1:02] » Here.

[1:02] » Arsena.

[1:03] » Here.

[1:04] » Burbank.

[1:04] » Absent.

[1:05] » Burgerson.

[1:06] » Here.

[1:06] » Mazoni.

[1:07] » Here.

[1:07] » Green.

[1:08] » Here.

[1:09] » Motion to excuse Councilmember Burbank.

[1:11] » Second.

[1:13] » It's been moved and seconded. All those

[1:15] in favor?

[1:15] » Aye.

[1:16] » Motion carries.

[1:17] » All right.

[1:18] » Moving on to agenda modifications.

[1:20] Council, do you have any agenda

[1:21] modifications for tonight?

[1:23] » Move to approve the agenda as presented.

[1:26] » We've got it.

[1:28] Is that you, Denise? I'm sorry, I didn't

[1:29] hear you.

[1:31] It's been moved and seconded. All those

[1:33] in favor?

[1:33] » Aye.

[1:35] » Motion carries.

[1:36] Moving on.

[1:38] Moving on to my favorite part of

[1:40] tonight's council meeting.

[1:42] Announcements, appointments, and

[1:43] presentations. So, tonight we have

[1:46] uh the volunteer of the year award for

[1:49] the senior center. So, I'm going to read

[1:51] the information here about our awardees.

[1:55] Uh tonight I have the honor of

[1:57] recognizing two very special volunteers

[1:59] from the Buckley Senior Center with the

[2:01] K Skogan Volunteer of the Year Award.

[2:05] This award was established in

[2:07] remembrance of K Skogan, a long-time

[2:09] coordinator of the Buckley Senior

[2:11] Center, and recognizes a volunteer who

[2:14] demonstrates exceptional dedication,

[2:16] leadership, and service to our senior

[2:19] center and its members.

[2:21] For our inaugural year, the review

[2:23] committee had a large stack of

[2:25] nominations to review, and after careful

[2:28] consideration, it was decided that two

[2:31] volunteers were exceptionally deserving.

[2:34] Our first

[2:36] recipient is Maria Zaffi.

[2:38] Maria is someone who puts her heart into

[2:40] the Senior Center and its members day in

[2:43] and day out. She is always there to

[2:45] help, to listen, and to make people feel

[2:48] welcome and cared for. Her kindness and

[2:51] genuine care for others are exactly what

[2:53] makes the Senior Center such a special

[2:55] place.

[2:57] Our second recipient is Nancy Moriarty.

[3:00] Nancy has demonstrated extraordinary

[3:02] administrative leadership, both at the

[3:04] Senior Center and throughout our

[3:06] community. She is someone who steps up,

[3:09] gets things done, and is always willing

[3:11] to use her time and talents to make

[3:13] things better for others.

[3:15] Maria and Nancy represent our city and

[3:18] the Senior Center so well, both using

[3:20] their times and talents because they

[3:21] care deeply about the people and the

[3:24] community that they serve.

[3:26] On behalf of the city, the Senior

[3:29] Center, and our community,

[3:31] congratulations to Maria Zaffi and Nancy

[3:33] Moriarty on being our first recipients

[3:36] of the K Skogan Volunteer of the Year

[3:39] Award.

[3:53] Um.

[3:54] Hahaha.

[3:58] » Yes, who's guilty?

[4:00] Ready?

[4:00] » Oh, oh.

[4:00] » Ready, two, three.

[4:01] » Go ahead, right up. Oh, we'll take your

[4:03] picture.

[4:03] » Picture of the mayor.

[4:04] » So, that way it's

[4:06] » Yep, so you can hand it to the mayor.

[4:08] » These are for me.

[4:09] » Thank you.

[4:10] » These are for you.

[4:13] These are for you.

[4:16] And these are for you.

[4:20] » No, that's all right.

[4:21] » Thank you.

[4:23] » Okay.

[4:24] » Good job, team.

[4:25] » Thank you, ladies. Thank you.

[4:33] » Hey, thank you so much.

[4:35] And I love to see you so much in the

[4:37] meeting.

[4:39] This is for you. Bless your house and

[4:41] anybody that's in your house. And I

[4:45] appreciate it.

[4:46] Thank you so much.

[4:47] » Thank you. Good night.

[4:54] » Okay, moving on to public comments.

[4:58] Uh tonight we have three opportunities

[5:01] for public comment. The first is the

[5:03] normal public comment period, and then

[5:06] also the one at the end. Thank you. But

[5:08] in the middle, we will have a public

[5:11] hearing on the PSE energy

[5:15] uh

[5:15] moratorium. So, I will ask you when you

[5:19] um when you signed up here, did you plan

[5:21] to testify?

[5:23] It looks like the only person I have

[5:25] planning to testify is Christine from

[5:28] PSE. And so, she I know wants to be

[5:31] during the public hearing. So, I will

[5:32] just move on from that unless there is

[5:35] someone who's decided

[5:38] um that did not sign up that would like

[5:40] to do public comment tonight.

[5:44] Seeing none, I'm going to move forward.

[5:47] Uh, mayor's report for tonight. Uh, the

[5:50] only thing I would like to just say is

[5:52] that council member Mazzoni and I

[5:55] uh, had a great time at the summer

[5:58] luncheon barbecue for the senior center

[6:00] today. Very well attended. I don't know

[6:02] how many 70 people there. Lots. And um,

[6:07] Patty and the Traveling Four were the

[6:09] music today.

[6:11] And I've seen them before a couple times

[6:13] at the Eagles back in the day. So,

[6:15] they've they were they were a lot of

[6:16] fun. Um, Parks and Community Services

[6:19] Council Member Green.

[6:21] » Yes, Parks and Community Services met on

[6:23] August 3rd. Uh, we had a lot of topics

[6:26] to to go through. Um, one is the ongoing

[6:29] conversations between the city and the

[6:31] food bank. Uh, we heard about uh, the

[6:34] Pierce County Library and there's an

[6:36] update or there will be an update uh,

[6:38] forthcoming August 17th, is it?

[6:40] » Our meeting's on the 19th.

[6:41] » 19th, okay.

[6:43] Two days off.

[6:44] » Choice.

[6:44] » Um,

[6:45] uh, regarding the camping issue that's

[6:46] been happening at the library. So,

[6:48] mayors from Buckley,

[6:49] Sumner and Bonney Lake are going to meet

[6:51] with the Pierce County uh, executive

[6:52] director of the Pierce County Library

[6:54] executive director, rather, to talk

[6:56] about

[6:57] uh, community values regarding

[6:59] homelessness and camping in public

[7:00] areas.

[7:01] Um, Miller Park update. So,

[7:03] uh, see, we heard recently about the

[7:06] cultural resource survey that was kind

[7:07] of taking a while. Seems like the review

[7:09] is uh, been sent was sent for

[7:11] consultation. Uh, the tribal consulting

[7:14] party a request that additional field

[7:16] work be completed. Uh, there's there was

[7:18] an issue with standing water in the

[7:21] shovel probing process that doesn't

[7:23] allow them to fully assess uh, any

[7:25] impacts. Um, so, there's unclear

[7:28] results. Uh, some might say it was clear

[7:29] as mud. Shush. Um,

[7:33] uh, youth center update. So, uh, we

[7:35] heard that recently heard that like the

[7:38] the YPV grant funding, we did not get it

[7:40] this year, which was anticipated $45,000

[7:43] $45,000 revenue that we were expecting

[7:47] and was in our our finances here.

[7:49] So, we didn't get that. So, we heard

[7:51] about um

[7:52] what kind of offsets were

[7:54] the city's looking at. There's a $7,500

[7:56] allocation that we got from Council

[7:58] member Morell.

[7:59] Uh

[8:01] $4,000 above budget for the TPCHD

[8:04] donations small grant awards at

[8:07] our 70

[8:08] 7,000 but almost $8,000 above budget.

[8:11] But, there's still a big gap, almost

[8:13] $26,000 because of that missing $45,000

[8:16] grant that we didn't get. So, city's

[8:18] looking at different ways to reduce

[8:20] costs and also looking at a lot of

[8:23] different applications for grant

[8:24] funding. Some notable ones is Northcliff

[8:27] Foundation for $40,000. So, that's

[8:29] pending. Hopefully, that goes through.

[8:32] Another one is Names Foundation for

[8:34] $20,000.

[8:36] And so, there's a lot of great work and

[8:37] there's some other ones here, too, that

[8:38] don't have exact dollar figures tied to

[8:41] them, but a lot of great work being done

[8:42] by the city to to try to bridge this

[8:44] gap. We also heard about three mural

[8:47] applications that have been received and

[8:48] are under review.

[8:50] » Thank you, Council member Grave.

[8:52] » Council member [clears throat] Smith,

[8:53] admin, finance, public safety.

[8:56] » Admin, finance, and public safety met

[8:58] yesterday afternoon.

[9:01] Um

[9:03] administration items talked about

[9:05] Buckley Food Bank.

[9:07] Status quo from last meeting uh yet to

[9:10] sign terms of the offer.

[9:12] The use of Buckley Hall is work in

[9:14] progress.

[9:16] Administrative Bank shared details of a

[9:19] one-year contract extension for

[9:22] the IAFF

[9:24] International Association Firefighter

[9:27] members represented.

[9:29] Uh their local is escaping me, but they

[9:32] um their contract is coming up. So, he's

[9:36] we will have this on our August 25th

[9:38] agenda. Share the terms of what is

[9:40] proposed.

[9:42] Municipal Court, Mrs. Cash advised that

[9:45] the office is working through the

[9:46] budgeting process. It's that time of the

[9:48] year, and they're preparing for the

[9:50] implementation of new court management

[9:52] system known as Enterprise Justice.

[9:57] Police Department, Chief Alfano advised

[9:59] that he has pulled the Civil Service

[10:02] list

[10:04] for entry-level police officers. So, if

[10:06] anybody doesn't know, when you apply

[10:11] to be a law enforcement officer in a

[10:13] municipality, it's

[10:16] uh control It is overseen by a Civil

[10:19] Service Commission.

[10:21] So, those officers or potential officers

[10:24] who have applied,

[10:26] they're now on a Civil Service list, and

[10:28] the department is processing them for

[10:32] uh

[10:33] potential hire to replace Detective

[10:35] Plaster's spot.

[10:37] He retired at the end of June.

[10:40] Fire Department, we had no update.

[10:43] Uh and then Finance,

[10:46] you're going to find uh what we talked

[10:48] about, the 2026 mid-year adjustments on

[10:51] tonight's agenda.

[10:56] » Thank you, Council member Smith. And

[10:58] finally,

[10:59] uh Planning Commission with Council

[11:01] member Wolthausen.

[11:02] » Yeah. The uh Planning Commission met

[11:04] last Monday. Um the bulk of what was

[11:07] discussed will be um

[11:09] discussed tonight during the public

[11:10] hearing. Um one thing that was nice is

[11:12] we were able to get a representative

[11:14] from PSE to attend our meeting uh

[11:17] virtually and uh answered a lot of

[11:19] really good questions and kind of um

[11:21] gave us some clarity before uh the

[11:24] Planning Commission made their

[11:25] recommendation that you guys are going

[11:26] to be hearing tonight. So, that'll be

[11:28] the

[11:29] that topic will be what is discussed

[11:31] primarily going forward on the planning

[11:33] commission. So

[11:35] » Thank you.

[11:37] » Mayor Council consent agenda.

[11:40] » On tonight's consent agenda is approval

[11:42] of the minutes of the May 26th, 2026

[11:45] City Council meeting, approval of the

[11:47] minutes of the July 14th, 2026 City

[11:49] Council meeting and claims and payroll.

[11:52] » Move to approve the consent agenda as

[11:55] presented. Second.

[11:57] » It's been moved and seconded. All those

[11:59] in favor?

[12:00] » I

[12:01] » Motion carries.

[12:03] » Mayor, can I say something real quick?

[12:06] Do we should

[12:08] let Council and the audience know that

[12:10] there are some documents related to code

[12:12] updates that were stapled or as part of

[12:15] the best hearing. It's not part of the

[12:17] best hearing. Those documents are

[12:19] related to a staff report later in the

[12:21] meeting.

[12:28] » Thank you.

[12:31] Okay, so let's move on to

[12:34] public hearings.

[12:36] So tonight we have a moratorium on the

[12:39] development of a uh

[12:44] batter, is that correct? Battery.

[12:46] Oh, battery. It's just missing a Y. My

[12:49] » Sorry. That's not the right word.

[12:51] » Battery energy storage system, BESS.

[12:55] So we are going to recess the City

[12:58] Council meeting at 6:14 to

[13:00] enter into that public hearing.

[13:03] And uh

[13:05] Senior Planner Farnsworth, if you would

[13:07] come up and do your presentation.

[13:13] » Good evening, Mayor, City Council

[13:14] members. Um so I just wanted to do

[13:16] elaborate on the work that the Planning

[13:17] Commission has been doing over the month

[13:19] of July regarding the battery energy

[13:21] storage system moratorium.

[13:23] Um so on June 23rd, Council approved a

[13:26] moratorium on these battery energy

[13:27] storage systems and part of that is we

[13:30] need to have a public hearing within 60

[13:32] days of adopting that initial ordinance.

[13:35] So we we have the opportunity to spend

[13:37] two full meetings kind of

[13:39] just trying to gain an understanding of

[13:41] what these energy systems are, how they

[13:44] function and potential implications of

[13:46] for the community at large. And so after

[13:49] our initial review, we are the planning

[13:51] commission is recommending it to extend

[13:53] the moratorium for 1 year while we have

[13:56] an additional opportunity to review

[13:57] materials. And the way I've been

[14:00] thinking of it is we'll break it into

[14:01] three different sections, environmental

[14:03] concerns, emergency response and

[14:05] preparedness, and then the final one

[14:07] will be project siting.

[14:09] Which is a more a little bit more of a

[14:11] hands-on what does this actually look

[14:12] like in the community. And my goal would

[14:15] be to provide Council with quarterly

[14:17] updates so you can kind of track our

[14:19] progress while we work through it.

[14:22] » Okay.

[14:23] Thank you, Chris.

[14:26] And I believe we have a representative

[14:27] here tonight from PSE, Christine Rompa,

[14:31] who wanted to testify during the the

[14:32] hearing. So please come on up.

[14:35] » Thank you.

[14:36] Good evening, Council and esteemed

[14:38] Mayor. My name is Christine Rompa and I

[14:40] work for Puget Sound Energy as a local

[14:42] government affairs representative.

[14:44] For over 150 years, PSE has served the

[14:47] region by providing safe, reliable

[14:49] energy for our customers. Due to a

[14:52] variety of factors, including population

[14:55] growth, electrification,

[14:57] and changes in state law, we are now

[14:59] going through the most transformational

[15:01] time in our history and battery energy

[15:04] storage systems will play a critical

[15:06] role in helping PSE successfully meet

[15:09] this challenge. Demand for electricity

[15:12] is growing, especially during summer

[15:14] heat waves and in winter cold snaps.

[15:17] During those peak times, PSE can use the

[15:19] energy stored in batteries to continue

[15:22] serving our customers instead of buying

[15:24] expensive power on the market. BESs are

[15:27] an important part of PSE's plans to

[15:30] provide the reliable power our customers

[15:32] expect while delivering more of the

[15:34] clean energy required by Washington's

[15:37] aggressive clean energy laws.

[15:39] Batteries have the potential to solve

[15:41] energy challenges we all care about,

[15:44] like providing temporary backup power

[15:46] when you experience an outage, to

[15:48] helping businesses manage their power

[15:50] use. Installing BESs helps employ men

[15:53] and women in the building trades who

[15:55] live here in Buckley and throughout our

[15:57] region.

[15:58] PSE has always been a safety-first

[16:00] company. Safety for our customers,

[16:03] employees, and our systems is paramount

[16:06] to PSE.

[16:07] Our state's energy code has safety

[16:09] regulations for these systems that were

[16:12] developed by first responders,

[16:14] electrical and chemical engineers, and

[16:16] other key subject matter experts in the

[16:19] energy industry.

[16:20] PSE requires any type of BESs facility

[16:23] connected to our system to meet

[16:25] stringent multi-layered safety

[16:27] standards. We'd like to partner with you

[16:30] to create an ordinance that addresses

[16:32] your concerns and aligns with your

[16:34] comprehensive plan.

[16:36] CF policy 5.2 calls for the use of

[16:39] renewable energy resources to meet the

[16:42] region's energy needs. CF 5.3 promotes

[16:46] energy consumption through conservation

[16:48] and alternative energy forms to extend

[16:51] the life of existing facilities and

[16:53] infrastructure.

[16:55] BESs infrastructure can eliminate

[16:57] [clears throat] the need to build costly

[16:59] new overhead transmissions lines, which

[17:02] can cost two to three million dollars

[17:04] per mile.

[17:05] CF 5.4 supports investments in

[17:09] low-carbon energy sources.

[17:11] Buckley's BESs moratorium provides an

[17:13] opportunity to address community

[17:15] concerns through a thoughtful, thorough,

[17:18] and fact-based review of current best

[17:20] technology. We believe that you will

[17:23] find that best systems provide

[17:25] compelling benefits for grid reliability

[17:27] in Buckley, and that best safety has

[17:29] dramatically improved over the past

[17:32] several years. We are hopeful your

[17:34] deliberations will provide a permitting

[17:36] pathway for residential, commercial, and

[17:39] utility-scale bests so we can continue

[17:42] providing safe, reliable, and clean

[17:44] energies

[17:46] to customers in Buckley. PSE looks

[17:48] forward to working with you. Thank you

[17:50] very much.

[17:51] » Thank you.

[17:52] » Thank you.

[17:55] » Is there anyone else who did not sign up

[17:56] that wants to speak during the public

[17:58] hearing related to this moratorium?

[18:02] Seeing none,

[18:04] I will then uh

[18:06] reconvene the

[18:09] reconvene Excuse me. I will close the

[18:12] public hearing at 6:19 and reconvene the

[18:15] council meeting.

[18:19] Okay. So,

[18:20] ready for ordinances when you are.

[18:22] » Ordinance number 08-26

[18:25] amending the 2025-2026

[18:28] biennial budget.

[18:29] » Move to approve ordinance 08-26 amending

[18:33] the 2025-2026

[18:35] city budget.

[18:37] » Second.

[18:41] » Wonderful.

[18:44] » It's No, it's

[18:45] It's been moved and seconded.

[18:50] Uh so, what I what we'll do at this

[18:51] point is then ask Director Hines to come

[18:54] up and and answer any questions that you

[18:57] may have of her related to this.

[19:05] Now, I'm Councilmember Woodbury.

[19:07] » No.

[19:08] » I [laughter] I told her that I would

[19:11] call her today and with questions and

[19:14] » And you did not call

[19:15] » I did not. I

[19:17] » [laughter]

[19:18] » All right. So, I am seeing that Council

[19:21] member Council member Smith

[19:22] » I just there's no question. I just like

[19:24] to state that this happens every year.

[19:26] We go to the mid

[19:28] part of the budget and we have to

[19:29] adjust. We have to

[19:31] This is we cannot run a deficit or a

[19:34] debt like the federal government

[19:36] or like

[19:38] other places. We have to live within our

[19:40] means and this was this is a

[19:43] I've been here this is my ninth year.

[19:45] This happens all the time. This is not

[19:47] new.

[19:48] This is good.

[19:50] » All right. Any other comments?

[19:53] Thank you Director Council.

[19:55] Okay, so it has been moved and seconded.

[19:58] All those in favor?

[19:58] » No, this will be a roll call.

[20:00] » Oh, sorry. Ordinances, I keep

[20:01] forgetting. Yes, go ahead.

[20:03] » Smith

[20:03] » I

[20:04] » Green

[20:04] » I

[20:05] » Arsenaul

[20:05] » I

[20:06] » Wolfel

[20:06] » I

[20:07] » Burgerson

[20:08] » I

[20:08] » Mazoni

[20:09] » I

[20:09] » Motion carries.

[20:11] All right.

[20:13] Moving on then to staff reports. So,

[20:17] let's start with uh

[20:19] City Engineer Miller and the A Street

[20:22] and Main four-way stop.

[20:27] You're up.

[20:29] » Okay.

[20:30] Good evening everybody. Um

[20:34] We are

[20:36] Let's first I'll give you some

[20:38] background. Um

[20:39] » [clears throat]

[20:40] » Back in April of 2025

[20:44] um the city initiated a intersection

[20:48] evaluation for the intersection of Main

[20:51] Street and A Street. And the intent of

[20:54] the evaluation was to determine whether

[20:56] it was warranted to convert it from the

[20:59] existing two-way stop to a four-way

[21:01] stop.

[21:03] And there are there is a warrant

[21:06] analysis. There are five criteria that

[21:09] you go through on these

[21:11] um

[21:13] evaluations, and I won't go through

[21:15] every one, but two of the five warrants

[21:18] were met, meaning

[21:20] um that

[21:22] the recommendation is yes to convert it

[21:25] to a four-way stop. Um the significant

[21:28] issues, one was for southbound traffic

[21:31] on A Street. There is a sight distance

[21:34] issue looking east.

[21:37] So, as you approach

[21:39] from the north, and you are looking to

[21:42] your left, there's a building right

[21:44] there.

[21:46] And it's hard to see.

[21:47] So, the um official

[21:51] um

[21:52] sight distance required there is 250 ft.

[21:57] What is available is 160 ft.

[22:01] So, it's not available.

[22:02] Um and what drivers do is they stop at

[22:06] the stop bar, some of them, and then

[22:08] they creep forward in order to see

[22:11] before they go.

[22:12] And when you creep forward, they enter

[22:14] into a crosswalk, which is where people

[22:17] walk. So, it's an unsafe situation. And

[22:20] then the second major um

[22:24] item pointed out in the analysis that

[22:26] was conducted

[22:28] is that um the presence of heavy

[22:30] pedestrian traffic, just cuz of the

[22:32] proximity of the schools.

[22:34] Um it talked about uh account of 71

[22:37] pedestrians during a peak hour period,

[22:40] which

[22:42] um is significant.

[22:45] And um

[22:47] so, the recommendation is to convert it

[22:49] to a four-way stop.

[22:51] Um

[22:53] there are some drawbacks that I want you

[22:56] guys to know about. And what the

[23:00] negative impact of making it a four-way

[23:02] stop is that

[23:04] um there will be queuing and um backups

[23:09] on Main Street because everybody's used

[23:12] to going straight. So, when

[23:17] uh

[23:17] during the I think it's more in the PM

[23:19] peak hour or well, it it's usually

[23:22] during um after-school pickup. They're

[23:25] going to be coming west on Main

[23:28] and they're going to have to stop now.

[23:31] So, the backup that's anticipated

[23:36] is not as long as the backup that's

[23:38] currently on Main Street for people

[23:40] coming south, but

[23:42] it's like a lot of things. It's not a

[23:45] perfect solution, but um it is um our

[23:49] recommendation that the city go forward

[23:51] with it and because the safety of the

[23:54] pedestrians and the um the overall uh

[23:57] it's called level of service, the

[23:59] operation of the intersection is

[24:01] enhanced by switching it to a four-way

[24:03] stop.

[24:04] Um so,

[24:07] if you have any questions,

[24:09] I can try to answer them.

[24:14] » This This just for you guys to know,

[24:17] this isn't a like a

[24:21] formal voting deal, but it's looking for

[24:23] a head nod from council on which

[24:25] direction we should

[24:27] move forward with. Um there is Dom, if

[24:30] you correct me if I'm wrong, but once we

[24:33] do these evaluations

[24:36] and there is a

[24:39] recommendation,

[24:41] we do carry a certain liability moving

[24:44] forward by not taking that

[24:46] recommendation.

[24:47] Meaning if we leave it as is and

[24:51] we have a

[24:53] a recommendation and somebody gets hit

[24:56] there, there is a certain amount of

[24:57] liability to the city.

[24:59] » Yeah.

[25:02] » For the record, uh Engineer Miller is

[25:04] nodding his head yes.

[25:07] » [laughter]

[25:07] » Yes. I

[25:11] » Councilmember Smith.

[25:13] » This was brought up by me

[25:16] from a lot of

[25:17] uh

[25:19] information.

[25:22] People already try to treat that as a

[25:25] four-way stop. Sometimes it's it's

[25:28] but there's a lot of stuff going there.

[25:30] City Hall,

[25:32] the hair salon, Scoop,

[25:35] Anchor House, kids walking to school,

[25:39] and the back up has to be the trade-off

[25:41] for the people who've been screaming

[25:43] about this intersection.

[25:45] And uh just my um

[25:48] educated guess is there's about 300

[25:51] pickups

[25:53] and drop-offs in the morning and

[25:57] drop-offs and pickups in the afternoon

[26:00] from there. Not everybody's going

[26:03] west.

[26:05] However, to make that safer, this is

[26:08] what they've been asking for, and this

[26:10] is what it's going to have to be.

[26:12] And I think it's going to be safer for

[26:14] everyone,

[26:15] especially

[26:17] with all the other challenges we have

[26:19] with the e-scooters and all this other

[26:21] stuff.

[26:22] Four-way stop,

[26:24] everybody takes a

[26:26] left and right and go. And let's hope

[26:28] that there's we can eliminate issues.

[26:32] » I will say too, on behalf of the

[26:34] business community, I did reach out to

[26:37] uh President Taylor Stark, who said he

[26:38] could not be here tonight, but wanted

[26:40] Council to know that that he is fully in

[26:43] support of this. I also spoke to Bill

[26:46] and April Ratray at the Scoop. They said

[26:49] there's been numerous times uh that they

[26:52] have picked up car parts in their

[26:54] parking area there because people get

[26:56] into accidents and one day he said it

[26:58] was a bumper, another was another car

[27:00] part in their parking lot when they came

[27:02] in on the following day. So, he's very

[27:05] also supportive of this and he's right

[27:06] there on that.

[27:09] » There's two quick things I'd add. One, I

[27:11] believe Okay. I believe the timing is

[27:14] intended if there's the head nod

[27:17] to be done toward the end of the month,

[27:20] so before school starts.

[27:22] And the second thing I would say is

[27:27] there is the potential for other effects

[27:30] besides right here at A and Main. So, we

[27:33] are going to have our eye on two

[27:36] specific other intersections being C and

[27:39] Main

[27:40] and C and Mason.

[27:43] Um

[27:44] you haven't authorized

[27:47] those formal studies to happen,

[27:50] but we didn't think it was a fair

[27:53] representation to

[27:55] evaluate those intersections now because

[27:58] they will be very much affected by this

[28:01] conversion if it happens. So, it's

[28:03] better data to figure out um

[28:08] because human nature is

[28:10] if I'm stopping too long on Main,

[28:12] I'm finding another way. And so

[28:16] that can have ripple effects, which

[28:19] we're sensitive to and want to

[28:21] to make sure um

[28:23] that that is accommodated as well. So,

[28:26] that will be our Keep our eyes out for

[28:28] that as well. So, just I don't

[28:31] Let me step on your toes for that.

[28:34] » That's what I was going to ask, but one

[28:35] of the

[28:36] since I've been on the council and on

[28:38] the

[28:39] the utility commission, the biggest

[28:42] complaint I've gotten is A Street

[28:44] that intersection. Every time someone

[28:46] gets in a wreck, they send it

[28:48] send it to us about the what can we do

[28:50] to make it a four-way stop? And that's

[28:52] what initiated the

[28:54] study in 2025 for part of it.

[28:57] So, I mean, I really don't think there's

[28:59] much of an option not to put a four-way

[29:00] stop there.

[29:03] » So, I'm hearing council support.

[29:06] So, we will reach out to

[29:08] » We will reach out Yeah, we'll reach out

[29:09] to the school district. We'll get stuff

[29:12] out on social media, website.

[29:15] Plenty of advanced warning that this

[29:17] will happen.

[29:18] » Right. And Chris, you mentioned to me

[29:20] today that there is a process for we put

[29:23] this in that there will be signage up

[29:25] that says there's a a change in

[29:28] » Traffic or

[29:29] » Yeah, John, do you want to speak to

[29:30] that?

[29:31] » Speak with Speak to what that looks

[29:32] like.

[29:33] » Yep, that's that's an advanced sign.

[29:35] It's approximately 100 ft in advance.

[29:37] They are orange signs, so they they look

[29:39] like construction signs, but it is a

[29:42] traffic modification.

[29:44] Um

[29:44] The requirement is that stays up for a

[29:47] month, but cities municipalities can

[29:49] decide to keep it longer if

[29:53] I don't know, people don't get the hint.

[29:54] You can leave it up for 2 months, but um

[29:57] And then, our recommendation is that be

[29:59] done in all four directions even though

[30:02] the stop sign's not changing for A,

[30:05] it's still is notifying them that, "Hey,

[30:07] this intersection's changing." So,

[30:10] Go ahead. Oh.

[30:11] » No, I was just going to ask you, does

[30:13] that impact leaving cars? If we put a

[30:16] stop sign there, does that impact our

[30:17] handicap stalls?

[30:19] That was the only thing I seen that.

[30:21] » Uh

[30:22] » Because you can't park within 25 ft of

[30:24] the stop sign, right?

[30:25] » We may have to move it.

[30:27] They act They handicap stall.

[30:29] » They may have to shift the handicap

[30:31] » Yeah.

[30:35] » Council member Bergerson.

[30:37] So, the stop signs that we have on

[30:40] Brandy Street

[30:42] » Sure, flashing lights.

[30:43] » Are those much more expensive than just

[30:46] a regular stop sign? Would it be

[30:48] » So, those run

[30:51] I I

[30:52] they're going to be between $800 and

[30:54] $1,000.

[30:55] » Compared to

[30:57] » Uh

[30:58] Councilmember Arsenao might have a

[30:59] better idea what a normal stop sign

[31:02] costs, but couple hundred bucks, 300

[31:04] bucks, 400 bucks.

[31:05] » Just I'm just thinking that

[31:08] with the big change

[31:10] never having a four-way stop there

[31:11] before, those with the lights might be

[31:14] » You you can see them from a long ways

[31:16] away. It might be worth the extra money

[31:18] to

[31:19] make them flash.

[31:28] » Councilmember Wohlfeil?

[31:31] Councilmember Messina? Thumbs up. Okay.

[31:34] Flashing lights, four-way stop it is. We

[31:36] will move forward. We'll note that.

[31:38] » Thank you.

[31:39] » This real quick, I don't want to put our

[31:41] police department on the spot, but do

[31:44] they have Does the police chief or

[31:45] assistant chief have any comments to

[31:47] make?

[31:49] » No, I I think

[31:50] » Please come to the microphone. Thank

[31:52] you.

[31:52] » I don't mean to put you on the spot, but

[31:54] » Yeah, no, just the

[31:57] it's plugging a hole, right? And so,

[31:59] that's what I wanted Council to be aware

[32:00] of. You're plugging a hole here, but we

[32:03] it will likely create problems on our

[32:05] side streets.

[32:06] Um there's other intersections, like Don

[32:08] said, that need to be addressed. Um

[32:11] and one of them

[32:13] not even one we talked about is Spiketon

[32:16] and Ryan Road.

[32:18] That intersection in the last 2 months,

[32:21] we've had four accidents at

[32:23] intersection, where we've had zero at A

[32:25] and Main. And so,

[32:28] um we can attribute that to probably

[32:29] speed

[32:31] coming down Ryan Road.

[32:32] So, a shift in speed limit from Ryan

[32:34] Road could help that intersection. But

[32:37] also a four-way stop. And so, if the

[32:39] council wants to do an evaluation,

[32:41] that's my suggestion there. So, cuz

[32:43] we're getting a lot of accidents there.

[32:45] But, you will have we will have other

[32:46] issues that will we'll need to address.

[32:48] And And Dom was very clear in that, you

[32:51] know, it's going to impact side streets.

[32:54] Uh specifically, there's a lot of kids

[32:56] that walk down Mason and those things.

[32:58] And so,

[33:00] cars are going to skirt Main Street, so

[33:04] they don't have to stop.

[33:06] And they might head down Mason or C

[33:08] Street.

[33:09] That could turn into a raceway. So,

[33:11] that's going to be a big big impact is C

[33:13] and Mason is going to need to be

[33:15] addressed next, I would believe.

[33:18] » Chief, you brought to my attention what

[33:20] you alluded to today, which I think is a

[33:22] very valid point and no cost involved

[33:26] other than us preparing an ordinance,

[33:28] which would be, as I understand it,

[33:30] changing the speed limit on Ryan to 25.

[33:35] » All the way down.

[33:35] » All the way around. Love that. Collins,

[33:37] the whole list.

[33:38] » So, right now, it I think it adjusts

[33:39] right at Belvins. So, so, we probably

[33:43] Dom should weigh in on the cost of that.

[33:45] I don't know if we have to evaluate that

[33:48] or

[33:49] » Yeah. We have to do a study.

[33:51] » You do.

[33:52] So, there is some cost associated with

[33:54] it.

[33:54] » Okay. Well, we'll get more information

[33:57] on that and the cost associated and then

[33:59] we will bring that probably to

[34:01] Transportation Committee

[34:03] and see what we think.

[34:05] Thank you, Chief.

[34:08] Okay. So, yes.

[34:10] » Um I I believe um

[34:13] the

[34:14] uh speed study on Ryan and the

[34:17] intersection evaluation of Ryan and

[34:20] Spiketon can be the same study. It's

[34:23] collecting similar information. So, it

[34:25] can be a

[34:26] a twofer evaluation.

[34:28] » [laughter]

[34:29] » Well, feel feel free to use the accident

[34:32] report from the mayor's uh uh

[34:36] » Earlier this year

[34:37] » Earlier today. Get Yes, traffic

[34:39] accident. I was not at fault, for the

[34:41] record.

[34:43] » We'll see, for the record.

[34:45] » [laughter]

[34:45] » That's to be determined.

[34:48] » Well, Officer Frazier has it on camera.

[34:52] Okay, so moving on, I think we're going

[34:54] to move on to um Senior Planner

[34:57] Farnsworth

[34:58] and we're going to talk about code

[35:00] updates.

[35:02] » Okay.

[35:04] So this is our first uh code update

[35:06] package for 2026 and

[35:09] um everything included in this memo, we

[35:11] are addressing other state law

[35:13] compliance aspects and so that's really

[35:16] what this is and I'm just here to answer

[35:17] any questions you guys might have.

[35:20] Um one thing that is not in the packet,

[35:22] but I wanted to verbalize is so when we

[35:24] did our big rezone and code update in

[35:27] the first part of 2026, there was an

[35:29] oversight with one of the parcels being

[35:31] rezoned incorrectly. So 720 Park Ave,

[35:35] you guys might be more familiar with as

[35:36] Bark of the Town. Um it was originally

[35:39] zoned neighborhood mixed use and so when

[35:41] that business went in there, that was

[35:43] absolutely permitted. That's an allowed

[35:45] use. Um it was an oversight, but it was

[35:47] changed to R6000.

[35:50] And so as part of this initial update

[35:52] package, I would like to include that

[35:54] rezone to bring it into uh central mixed

[35:56] use, which will allow the business to

[35:58] continue to operate.

[36:02] » And Chris, if I understand correctly,

[36:04] NMU, when we updated the comp plan,

[36:07] everything that was NMU went to CMU.

[36:09] » Yes, went to CMU. There were a couple of

[36:11] parcels farther south that are still

[36:13] residential and will most likely

[36:15] continue to be residential. Um

[36:17] and you know, we re we rezoned

[36:20] over a hundred parcels and so we just

[36:22] did have an oversight with this

[36:24] particular one.

[36:27] » Questions? Council Member Smith.

[36:29] » I can say that uh I live close to 720

[36:33] Park

[36:34] and 760 Park.

[36:36] Um

[36:37] they have been whatever the city's

[36:39] asking them to do, they seem to be doing

[36:41] it. And I've been watching I see it

[36:44] every day.

[36:45] And I don't I don't believe

[36:48] I think they want to be in compliance.

[36:50] » Yep.

[36:55] » Chris, just for

[36:58] edification, to make sure I understand

[37:00] this correctly,

[37:01] in your update, one of the things you

[37:03] quote uh in that floor area ratio

[37:07] discussion is code from the city of

[37:09] Issaquah.

[37:10] » Yep.

[37:11] » And what would they consider the green

[37:14] necklace amenity

[37:16] that they reference?

[37:19] Item C.

[37:21] I've never heard that before.

[37:32] If you're not sure, we you can follow up

[37:33] with me.

[37:34] » Yeah, I'll I'll follow up with you about

[37:35] that.

[37:36] » Before. [clears throat]

[37:40] » Yeah, I I can follow up. Green necklace

[37:42] My My assumption would be it would be

[37:44] like a green belt.

[37:45] » Okay.

[37:46] » Something similar to that.

[37:47] » Okay.

[37:53] And as Chris stated, these are

[37:55] requirements from state law that we are

[37:57] having to move into with unit lot

[37:59] subdivisions and the

[38:02] church property

[38:04] allowances for housing on sites.

[38:08] So.

[38:11] That That did not come from us. That

[38:13] came from the powers that be.

[38:15] » Yep. And even the the ADU code updates,

[38:18] those were just it's just tying up some

[38:19] odds and ends. Um for example, there's a

[38:22] section in here about the impact fee

[38:23] reductions for the ADUs we permitted

[38:26] since we adopted the updated code. We

[38:28] have been following state law, so this

[38:30] is just enshrining it in our own

[38:32] municipal code.

[38:37] » When can council expect to see this

[38:40] package of code coming back to them,

[38:42] Chris?

[38:43] » Well,

[38:44] I'm not getting a lot of comments here,

[38:45] so I would like to move rather quickly

[38:47] with getting it to getting it to the

[38:49] Department of Commerce for their 60-day

[38:51] review, and hopefully look for an

[38:53] adoption sometime in October.

[38:59] » Any concerns, council?

[39:01] No, I'm not seeing any, Chris. Nice job.

[39:04] » Thank you.

[39:06] » And then finally, I'm adding Chief

[39:09] Skogen with an update for us on a couple

[39:11] of items.

[39:15] » Good evening, Mayor and Council. Uh,

[39:17] just a handful of things here to share

[39:19] with each of you. We are in the thick of

[39:22] fire season. We currently have a crew

[39:24] deployed to the Little Giant fire in

[39:26] Chelan County.

[39:28] They're doing well. As of this morning,

[39:30] they are in the thick of it performing

[39:32] structure protection.

[39:34] It looks like they'll be staying the

[39:35] full 14 days with possibly a a swap of

[39:38] crews occurring this Friday.

[39:41] Um, so three personnel over there, one

[39:43] of our volunteers, uh, is working as a

[39:45] contract timber faller assigned to the

[39:48] Grasshopper fire in Oregon.

[39:50] So, while fire danger remains high here,

[39:53] it's not as bad as other parts of the

[39:55] state,

[39:56] um,

[39:57] but we did put out on our social media

[39:59] earlier today that because of the

[40:02] continued dry pattern,

[40:04] a week from or Monday, August 17th,

[40:07] we're going to join Pierce County and

[40:10] ban all outdoor fires until further

[40:13] notice.

[40:14] So,

[40:16] it's [clears throat] very confusing for

[40:17] the public. It's very confusing for

[40:20] firefighters when we hear words of

[40:23] countywide burn ban or a governor's

[40:25] proclamation of a statewide burn ban.

[40:28] None of that has affected us at all up

[40:31] until this point. So, in any city or

[40:34] town in Pierce County,

[40:37] um the only fires that are allowed at

[40:38] any time of year is a recreational fire.

[40:41] So, it has to be firewood,

[40:43] 3 ft by 3 ft by 2 ft tall contained in a

[40:47] fire pit or a fireplace.

[40:49] All of the other bans that have been

[40:51] implemented at the county or the state

[40:53] level up until this point, um have

[40:56] banned everything other than

[40:57] recreational fires. So, Monday, August

[41:01] 17th,

[41:02] countywide,

[41:04] all outdoor fires will be banned until

[41:05] further notice.

[41:07] Um we anticipate that it'll probably

[41:09] remain in place until we get measurable

[41:11] rainfall that reduces fire danger.

[41:15] I'm not a weather person, but I can

[41:17] guess

[41:18] probably October sometime.

[41:20] Possibly later.

[41:23] Um the good news is is at this point

[41:25] charcoal, pellet, and gas grills will

[41:27] continue to be okay.

[41:29] Um so, any questions on burn ban or fire

[41:32] danger currently?

[41:35] Okay.

[41:36] Um

[41:37] last piece of really good news that we

[41:39] found out this morning, the fire

[41:40] department was notified from Department

[41:43] of Labor and Industries. For the third

[41:45] year in a row, we were awarded a grant,

[41:48] and this is for our voluntary

[41:50] participation

[41:51] in a firefighter injury and illness

[41:54] reduction program that we are a part of.

[41:57] Our grant award is for five sets of

[42:00] turnout gear in the amount of $23,190

[42:06] with a 0% match from the city. So, I

[42:09] just wanted to say thank you to Captain

[42:10] Connor Smith.

[42:12] He is the department's health and safety

[42:14] officer.

[42:15] He administers our program with L&I, and

[42:18] he also authored and submitted the

[42:20] grant. So.

[42:21] » Great job. Thank you, Chief.

[42:24] » Thank you.

[42:25] » City Administrator update.

[42:28] » So, earlier today we

[42:31] » [sighs and gasps]

[42:31] » Had a visit from our next Public Works

[42:35] Director, Mr. Jake Waldo. Stopped by

[42:37] City Hall, stopped down at Public Works,

[42:39] met few people.

[42:42] Um is meeting with IT on Thursday.

[42:45] Um to go through his IT training and get

[42:48] his laptop and phone. His first official

[42:52] start date will be Monday, August 17th.

[42:56] Um he will be attending the Development

[42:58] Services meeting on August 18th.

[43:01] And then he will come to Council on

[43:04] August 25th to meet and greet all you

[43:07] folks and say a few words. So.

[43:11] It's exciting news. Um

[43:14] sad but exciting news. Um for me. Um

[43:20] » No going back.

[43:22] But this is a great job, too. So.

[43:24] » [laughter]

[43:27] » So, um

[43:29] Spruce Street update Spruce

[43:31] Spruce Spruce Street improvement update.

[43:34] Dom, correct me if I'm wrong, but water

[43:35] improvements are done.

[43:37] In and done.

[43:39] Um they're currently installing sewer.

[43:42] The natural gas main has been relocated

[43:45] by PSE.

[43:47] So, they're moving right along.

[43:49] Um South Prairie Creek crossing status.

[43:53] Uh

[43:54] Grant Osborne and some city staff met

[43:58] um with some permitting agencies down in

[44:00] the canyon

[44:02] a week ago.

[44:04] Um so, we're still working through that

[44:05] permitting process. Dom has been in

[44:07] contact with a contractor that we are

[44:11] familiar with that has performed that

[44:12] type of work previously up there, so

[44:15] they're aware of

[44:17] of the obstacles that it presents.

[44:20] Um and then lastly, we are starting

[44:22] police negotiations with the guild um on

[44:26] Wednesday, August 18th.

[44:29] » And for the community, the Spiketon

[44:31] Ditch discussion is a transmission line

[44:33] that goes across the for our water

[44:37] system.

[44:37] » South Prairie Creek crossing. Yeah,

[44:39] yeah, it's the water transmission line

[44:41] that crosses.

[44:42] » Damaged during

[44:44] » The flooding events in December of '25.

[44:46] » Right. So, we are replacing that and

[44:48] getting that up and running and ready to

[44:50] go.

[44:52] » And if any council member is ever

[44:54] wanting to take a tour, I'm more than

[44:57] willing to give you a tour.

[45:01] » You have [clears throat] to take your

[45:01] volume

[45:03] » [laughter]

[45:05] » Pretty steep.

[45:06] » I'll let you know.

[45:08] » Okay, that's all of the stuff.

[45:10] » I will say.

[45:10] » It's okay.

[45:13] So, I I have one more option for public

[45:15] comments. If anyone that didn't sign up

[45:18] or decided they have something to say.

[45:20] Also, excuse me.

[45:20] » Chamber president.

[45:22] » Taylor.

[45:29] » Hi there. This is

[45:30] Taylor Stark, the president of the

[45:32] chamber. Uh I am a Buckley resident

[45:36] outside of city limits.

[45:38] Uh

[45:39] just wanted to say thank you for

[45:42] considering the four-way stop and the

[45:44] stop signs at A and Main.

[45:47] Uh and also the talk of adding flashing

[45:51] lights to that. Being a business owner

[45:53] for a construction

[45:55] company, any chance that we can uh make

[45:57] ourselves more visible uh uh, is a heck

[46:01] of a lot better for the general public

[46:03] and the

[46:04] the family members crossing the street

[46:06] because seems like everyone has their

[46:08] head in their phone and not paying

[46:10] attention looking down there.

[46:12] Uh, a lot of the businesses have talked

[46:15] to me directly about how fast people

[46:18] drive down Main Street and it's becoming

[46:20] an issue for them,

[46:22] their clients, their customers. Uh, and

[46:24] so

[46:25] adding a stop sign would help them out

[46:27] uh, and their clients feel safer. Uh,

[46:31] one of our next events is the

[46:34] trick-or-treat event down on Main Street

[46:37] this fall.

[46:38] Uh,

[46:40] and keep an eye out for that permit

[46:42] which will start. Other than that, thank

[46:44] you for being there and and have a good

[46:46] night and thanks for your time.

[46:48] » Thanks, Taylor.

[46:53] Okay, anyone else?

[46:55] » I see you.

[46:56] » Seeing none,

[46:58] uh, council member comments in good of

[47:00] the order.

[47:02] » [clears throat]

[47:04] » Council member Smith.

[47:07] » Well, I thought it was quite, uh,

[47:10] ironic when

[47:12] the gentle lady from PSE, um, presented

[47:16] around the best moratorium.

[47:20] And one of the things she said is,

[47:22] "Washington's aggressive clean energy

[47:24] laws."

[47:26] So, that people in Olympia

[47:29] passed the climate commitment act and

[47:32] we're paying 60 some cents a gallon

[47:35] at the pump for that.

[47:38] For clean energy laws, but here we are

[47:41] in a municipality

[47:45] within the state of Washington that

[47:46] passes laws

[47:48] that is asking for a moratorium

[47:51] for clean energy stuff.

[47:53] I thought that was just ironic.

[47:57] And it it

[47:58] I ain't appreciated her presentation,

[48:00] but here we are.

[48:03] It is not just Buckley, it is it over in

[48:06] Enumclaw, Maple Valley, everybody

[48:09] because

[48:10] the

[48:11] kings and queens in Olympia and the

[48:15] fewer who signs these laws

[48:19] then it gets kicked down to

[48:21] municipalities and we don't know what to

[48:23] do.

[48:25] And people don't know what to do.

[48:28] And here we are.

[48:30] And then at the same time, we've had

[48:32] hydroelectric

[48:34] on rivers

[48:38] creating hydroelectric energy

[48:41] that ignored the 1854

[48:45] treaties with the tribes

[48:47] about their salmon

[48:50] what they're entitled to that at Point

[48:52] Elliott and the others what was agreed

[48:55] to. So, here we are in a conundrum

[48:58] about energy.

[49:00] I just thought I'd throw that out there.

[49:02] If you pay attention, you know what time

[49:04] it is.

[49:05] Secondly, I would just like to say

[49:08] that I was very heartened this afternoon

[49:11] to see a post from the owner of Rainier

[49:14] Fresh on 410

[49:18] right next to Blue Max

[49:20] who said that their Good Roots Northwest

[49:24] truckers

[49:26] served 400 families in July

[49:30] with over 1,200

[49:33] pounds of food.

[49:35] And of course, July is a long month, 31

[49:38] days.

[49:39] 400 families they served them right

[49:41] there. They can they can show up

[49:43] whenever. I'm sure that there's an app

[49:46] and they say that this is here or there

[49:48] what time it is

[49:50] and they can go get it. I thought that

[49:52] was absolutely good news serving the

[49:54] community. Thank you.

[49:58] » Anyone else?

[49:59] Okay. So, if not, I'll accept a motion

[50:03] to adjourn.

[50:04] » Motion to adjourn.

[50:05] » Second.

[50:06] » All those in favor?

[50:07] » Aye.

[50:08] » Motion carried.

[50:10] We are adjourned.

[50:27] So, you can always send an email.

[50:30] » They steal the information.

[50:34] » I have no problem with that.

City Council - August 11, 2026

Agenda

Transcript