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[3:12]
Good evening. Welcome to the Tuesday,
[3:14]
September 1st regular city council
[3:15]
meeting. Dy Elliot, will you please
[3:18]
please call roll?
[3:19]
» Mayor Benjamin,
[3:20]
» Present.
[3:20]
» Council member Fjarn,
[3:22]
» Present.
[3:22]
» Council member McDonald,
[3:24]
» Here.
[3:24]
» Council member Parks,
[3:26]
» Here.
[3:26]
» Council member Schmus,
[3:27]
» Here. Council member Vance
[3:29]
» Here.
[3:30]
» Council member Weller
[3:31]
» Present.
[3:31]
» Council member Wright
[3:33]
» Here.
[3:34]
» So for community announcements, uh first
[3:37]
things coming up just as we're going
[3:39]
into the Labor Day weekend. We have a
[3:40]
number of Labor Day type things. First,
[3:43]
Powman City Hall, Pullman Administrative
[3:44]
Offices, Pullman Recreation Center, and
[3:47]
Neil Public Library will be closed on
[3:49]
Monday, September 8th for Labor Day.
[3:51]
Emergency services will remain
[3:53]
available. uh related to Pullman airport
[3:56]
service. Pullman transit is changing our
[3:58]
airport bus service after Labor Day
[4:00]
weekend. So be beginning September 8th,
[4:03]
the new Pullman airport will require
[4:05]
reservations at least 24 hours in
[4:07]
advance for service to and from the
[4:09]
airport. You can call 5093326535
[4:14]
or visit pullmanheywah.govporter
[4:18]
to schedule your ride. Um, we have
[4:21]
coming up then the following weekend
[4:23]
after that, uh, the 20 26 community
[4:27]
table. City of Pullman will be hosting
[4:29]
the Pullman picnic on Saturday,
[4:31]
September 12th, uh, from 5 to 7:00 p.m.
[4:34]
on Kamikin Street. So, between uh, Maine
[4:37]
and Olsen, a pack a picnic or pick up
[4:40]
your favorite to go and come eat with
[4:42]
your community at this familyfriendly
[4:44]
event featuring live music from local
[4:46]
band maybe Tuesday. If you'd like to get
[4:49]
involved as a table host, volunteer,
[4:52]
sponsor, or participating business,
[4:54]
please visit pullmanheywah.gov/pullman
[4:58]
picnic to sign up. It's going to be a
[5:00]
great event. I hope to see everybody
[5:01]
there. Uh and then the weekend after
[5:05]
that, uh come uh join WSU Downtown
[5:09]
Pullman Association and the Chamber of
[5:10]
Commerce uh and the city of Pullman for
[5:13]
an unforgettable kickoff to the football
[5:15]
season at the First Down Friday Street
[5:17]
Fair. and Cornhole Tournament. The first
[5:19]
event of the year is Friday, September
[5:22]
18th from 5 to 8:00 PM on Olsen and
[5:24]
Kamakin Streets next to Neil Public
[5:26]
Library. Register for the Cornhole
[5:28]
Tournament at the Wshu booth between 5
[5:30]
and 5:45. Uh the winners will receive
[5:33]
two tickets to Wshu versus Dukane on
[5:36]
September 19th.
[5:38]
Um and we have a dumpster survey, not a
[5:42]
dumpster fire, but a dumpster survey
[5:44]
going on. Uh the city of Pullman is
[5:46]
trying to assess how much of the
[5:47]
community knows about the dumpster
[5:49]
management and its impact on our storm
[5:51]
water system. If you live or work
[5:53]
somewhere with a dumpster, please take a
[5:55]
few minutes to complete a short survey
[5:57]
at pullmanwah.gov/dumpster
[6:01]
survey. Uh and then on to parks and
[6:03]
wreck. Uh registration began last week
[6:06]
for Pullman parks andrec fall
[6:08]
activities. You can visit
[6:10]
pullmanwah.govrec
[6:12]
/wrec to see the activity guide and find
[6:15]
something fun for you and your kids to
[6:17]
do this fall. And the Pullman Fire
[6:20]
Department now offers a blended
[6:22]
learning, adult, and pediatric first
[6:24]
aid, CPR, and AED class. Each
[6:27]
participant will complete an online
[6:29]
portion before attending an in-person
[6:31]
skills day at the Pullman Fire Station.
[6:34]
The next available class is on Tuesday,
[6:36]
September 22nd. Registration is only $55
[6:40]
and it's at pullmanhew.govfirst
[6:44]
class. Uh and then last with the Neil
[6:47]
Public Library, the ESL conversation
[6:50]
club at Neil Public Library is taking a
[6:51]
break for the month of September. If you
[6:54]
want to attend Conf conservation
[6:56]
conversation club when it resumes,
[6:58]
please fill out a short questionnaire at
[7:00]
pullmanw.govslub.
[7:04]
Uh to see more listings of other
[7:06]
community events such as si visit the
[7:08]
city's tourism page at
[7:10]
visienpullman.comvents.
[7:13]
So a lot of things going on. I I hope
[7:16]
that you you everyone can find something
[7:18]
to do. Uh the next item on our agenda is
[7:22]
community comments. This agenda item is
[7:24]
the opportunity for the public to bring
[7:26]
comments to the attention of the elected
[7:28]
officials. Specifically, this item is
[7:30]
reserved for public comment, concerns,
[7:32]
or other information not related to a
[7:34]
specific to a previous public hearing.
[7:37]
This agenda item for comments will not
[7:39]
exceed 30 minutes in total. Comments are
[7:41]
not to be directed to the mayor or the
[7:42]
city council as a body. No comments
[7:45]
should be directed to an individual
[7:46]
council member. And in compliance with
[7:48]
Washington campaign laws regarding use
[7:50]
of public facilities during elections,
[7:52]
no speaker may support or oppose a b a
[7:55]
ballot measure or support or oppose a
[7:57]
candidate for an election. uh which
[7:59]
includes your own campaign. With that,
[8:01]
is there anyone who would like to
[8:02]
provide community comments tonight?
[8:08]
Seeing none, we'll go on. Uh so the next
[8:12]
up is uh city council member comments
[8:14]
and I'm going to uh start down with
[8:16]
council member Schumus uh as it relates
[8:20]
to city council member comments. So with
[8:22]
that, council member Schumis, do you
[8:23]
have any comments?
[8:24]
» Thank you. I don't have any tonight.
[8:25]
With that, Council Member Parks,
[8:28]
» No comments.
[8:29]
» Council Member McDonald,
[8:30]
» No comments.
[8:31]
» Council member Weller.
[8:33]
» Thank you, Mr. Mayor. Just wanted to uh
[8:36]
let everybody know that the Whitman
[8:38]
Recovery Community Center event, the
[8:41]
overdose awareness event, was really
[8:44]
very successful. It was very nice having
[8:46]
people there putting names on the board
[8:49]
of people they've lost. Um, I've had
[8:52]
other people reach out to me and explain
[8:55]
that they are remembering people in
[8:58]
their own hearts and minds. It can be a
[9:00]
difficult thing. So, anyways, just
[9:03]
wanted to say that was a very good event
[9:05]
and uh, thanks Whitman Recovery
[9:08]
Community Center for putting that on.
[9:12]
» Council member Wright,
[9:13]
» No comment.
[9:14]
» Council member FAR,
[9:15]
» No comment.
[9:16]
» Council member Vance,
[9:17]
» No comment.
[9:20]
Uh, next item up is future regular
[9:23]
agenda item requests. Is there anyone
[9:24]
who has a future agenda item request?
[9:30]
Seeing none, moving right along. Our
[9:32]
next item up is is
[9:36]
uh getting into presentations. And the
[9:38]
first we have two proclamations and I'll
[9:40]
go and uh I'll read each one and I'll
[9:43]
start with our proclamation uh related
[9:47]
constitution week for 2026.
[9:50]
Whereas the constitution of the United
[9:52]
States of America, the guardian of our
[9:54]
liberties embodies the principles of
[9:56]
limited government in a republic
[9:58]
dedicated to rule by law. And whereas
[10:00]
September 17, 2026 marks the two 239th
[10:06]
anniversary of the drafting the
[10:07]
Constitution of the United States of
[10:09]
America by the Constitutional
[10:10]
Convention. And whereas it's fitting and
[10:13]
proper to accord official recognition to
[10:15]
this magnificent document and its
[10:17]
memorable anniversary and to the
[10:20]
patriotic celebrations which which will
[10:22]
commemorate the occasion. And whereas
[10:24]
public law 915 guarantees the issuing of
[10:28]
a proclamation each year by the
[10:30]
president of the United States of
[10:31]
America designating September 17th
[10:34]
through the 23rd as Constitution Week.
[10:37]
Now therefore, I, Francis Benjamin,
[10:38]
Mayor Pullman, do hereby proclaim the
[10:41]
week of September 17th through 23rd as
[10:44]
Constitution Week and ask our citizens
[10:46]
to reaffirm the ideals of the framers of
[10:49]
the constit the framers of the
[10:51]
Constitution had in 1787
[10:54]
by v by vigilantly protecting the
[10:57]
freedoms guaranteed to us through this
[11:00]
guardian of our liberties, remembering
[11:02]
that lost rights may never be regained.
[11:06]
And and with that, we do have uh a
[11:08]
member uh from our community who's also
[11:11]
Daughters American Revolution uh Miss
[11:15]
Dylan Dilman, which I'll bring forward
[11:17]
to give you the the proclamation.
[11:34]
» [applause]
[11:39]
» And she would like to make one quick
[11:42]
statement. [laughter]
[11:48]
A great heritage that you have.
[11:51]
» Uh I represent the Daughters of the
[11:53]
American Revolution Alice Whitman
[11:55]
chapter which is headquartered in Lewon.
[11:58]
Uh you uh Pullman uh joins with 12 other
[12:03]
cities, uh one county in this area, uh
[12:08]
two school districts, four city
[12:10]
libraries,
[12:11]
uh four school libraries, and classroom
[12:14]
presentations by at least five teachers.
[12:16]
Uh so we spread the word. Uh if you want
[12:19]
to join uh and read the Constitution out
[12:22]
loud, join us at Washington State
[12:25]
University in the uh u atrium and uh we
[12:30]
read it uh from 12 to 1 and usually we
[12:34]
get it all through the all of the
[12:36]
amendments as well.
[12:37]
» Great.
[12:38]
» Thank you.
[12:38]
» Thank you very much.
[12:49]
And our next proclamation, this is
[12:52]
designation of September as library card
[12:54]
signup month. Whereas libraries are
[12:57]
foundational to educational,
[12:59]
imagination, and opportunity, offering
[13:01]
everything from early literacy programs
[13:03]
to digital tools that support lifelong
[13:06]
learning and personal growth. Whereas
[13:08]
libraries welcome all people serving as
[13:10]
inclusive and accessible community hubs
[13:13]
that connect individuals across
[13:14]
cultures, generations, and experiences.
[13:17]
Whereas libraries curate collections and
[13:19]
design programs that reflect the
[13:21]
diversity of the population they serve,
[13:23]
ensuring equitable access to
[13:25]
information, technology, and culture for
[13:27]
all. Whereas libraries help individuals
[13:30]
navigate life's challenges by providing
[13:32]
trusted information, digital access, job
[13:35]
search support, and connections to
[13:37]
essential services. Whereas libraries
[13:40]
contribute to thriving local economies
[13:42]
by equipping job seekers, entrepreneurs,
[13:44]
students, and and creators with tools
[13:47]
and training to succeed. Whereas in
[13:49]
times of both crisis and calm, libraries
[13:52]
and their staff remain steadfast in
[13:54]
supporting and strengthening their
[13:56]
communities. Whereas library resources
[13:58]
help households save money, reduce
[14:01]
waste, and make sustainable choices, all
[14:03]
through the simple power of shared
[14:05]
public good. Whereas a library card
[14:07]
offers a front row seat to everything
[14:09]
the library offers from books and
[14:11]
technology to lifelong learning and
[14:13]
imagination. Whereas libraries,
[14:15]
librarians, and library workers across
[14:17]
the country are joining together to
[14:19]
celebrate library card signup month
[14:21]
under the theme, a library card hits all
[14:24]
the right notes. Now therefore, be it
[14:27]
resolved that I, Francis Benjamin, Mayor
[14:29]
of Pullman, do here hereby proclaim
[14:31]
September 26 as library cards sign month
[14:35]
in Pullman, Washington, encourage all
[14:38]
all residents to be sharp as opposed to
[14:41]
a flat. Um, and sign up for a library
[14:44]
card. And with that, we do have a
[14:47]
library director here that I've
[14:49]
introduced.
[14:58]
» So Stacy and if you wanted to say
[15:00]
anything and I know.
[15:03]
[applause]
[15:06]
» All right. Thank you. We are so excited
[15:08]
to be part of this community and we
[15:10]
really hope that all of the residents of
[15:12]
Pullman come and visit us at the
[15:14]
library. Get a library card and open the
[15:17]
world to yourself. Thank you.
[15:22]
[applause]
[15:34]
And now next is boards, commissions, the
[15:37]
2026 annual reports. Uh and within the
[15:40]
agenda you see that the boards and
[15:42]
commissions provided uh their annual
[15:44]
reports uh to the council and then some
[15:47]
of them actually asked if they could
[15:49]
also uh be able to provide
[15:51]
presentations. Do we have everybody here
[15:54]
that said
[15:59]
I'm trying to see is Desiree here?
[16:04]
» Okay.
[16:06]
is um so the first presentation was
[16:09]
going to be from the arts commission.
[16:12]
Is there a representative from the arts
[16:13]
commission here?
[16:15]
Okay. I'm not seeing that you have you
[16:17]
have it in your board packet. And what
[16:19]
we'll do is that we'll uh what I'd like
[16:21]
to is take the presentations and then
[16:22]
after that we can talk talk through uh
[16:25]
the ones that didn't present uh if we
[16:27]
have additional comments we want to make
[16:29]
related to those. Uh so if we move next
[16:31]
to the Environmental Resilience
[16:32]
Commission. I did see Larry Clark here.
[16:35]
So, Larry,
[16:37]
thank you for chairing the board.
[16:41]
» Certainly. Thank you very much. Um,
[16:43]
pleasure to see everybody. I'll keep my
[16:45]
comments very brief and then ask if
[16:48]
there are any comments or questions. Um,
[16:50]
at this time, uh, you have the report in
[16:54]
hand looking at the past year as well as
[16:56]
the goals of the Environmental
[16:57]
Resilience Commission. We consider this
[16:59]
commission extremely important at this
[17:02]
time for the city of Pullman as well as
[17:05]
the world. We're seeing all kinds of
[17:07]
climate extremes, floods, the wildfire
[17:10]
smoke we've all had to deal with and
[17:12]
other aspects of of the climate that are
[17:15]
shifting rapidly. And so this commission
[17:18]
has a few goals that are hopefully
[17:21]
aligned with everything that the city of
[17:23]
Pullman is aiming for as well. Our first
[17:26]
uh highlight that I'd like to point out
[17:28]
is partnerships across the community.
[17:31]
Whenever you have a broad um effort like
[17:34]
this, you really need those
[17:36]
partnerships. So, we've been reaching
[17:37]
out to a lot of different groups. Um
[17:40]
Citizens Climate Lobby for example,
[17:41]
Paloo Base and Aquafer Committee, WSU,
[17:45]
um they've been rebuilding their
[17:47]
sustainability commission and so we've
[17:49]
reached out to them and in particular
[17:51]
the school district. they've really um
[17:54]
done some good work with putting
[17:56]
together their sustainability committee
[17:58]
and one of our commission members goes
[18:00]
to those meetings as well. So they will
[18:03]
help us build that plan and the plan is
[18:06]
the major work we're working on. This is
[18:08]
um has a lot of different pieces that go
[18:11]
into it and we're going to be doing a
[18:13]
lot of outreach. That's the other
[18:15]
highlight that I want to mention.
[18:17]
reaching out to service groups, service
[18:20]
clubs, other community members, get
[18:23]
their input and really build something
[18:25]
that is practical and that can help the
[18:29]
community and really benefit all of us.
[18:33]
A couple of other um details that I want
[18:36]
to bring up. Uh one is something I've
[18:38]
brought be for the council in the past.
[18:42]
There's a group called Icky which is a
[18:44]
local environmental local government um
[18:48]
organization that is working on
[18:50]
environmental initiatives. They have a
[18:52]
whole suite of tools for measuring
[18:55]
climate impact of local governments,
[18:58]
cities and counties, other other local
[19:02]
governments. We propose that Pullman,
[19:06]
you know, if the if council would
[19:07]
consider at some point that Pullman
[19:10]
join, our colleagues over in the city of
[19:12]
Moscow have benefited a great deal from
[19:14]
joining Eckley. That's in the report.
[19:16]
So, you could take a look at it, perhaps
[19:19]
do a little research on it. And if we do
[19:22]
put in the the cost for the membership
[19:24]
fees, I think we would gain quite a bit.
[19:26]
They have some valuable tools as well as
[19:28]
best practices for local government.
[19:31]
Um, the other thing that I'd like to
[19:34]
point out from this last year and that
[19:36]
we will continue to do is a uh analysis
[19:39]
by WSU and University of Idaho
[19:42]
architecture, landscape architecture
[19:44]
students who are learning GIS tools and
[19:47]
they're taking on very specific aspects
[19:50]
of our local community and applying
[19:53]
their knowledge and expertise of GIS to
[19:58]
help us out with some data for our
[20:01]
environmental resilience report that
[20:04]
we'd like to put together and then put
[20:05]
forward for the council to consider. And
[20:08]
we're very excited about that. We're
[20:09]
fortunate one of our commission members
[20:12]
is a professor up at WSU has helped
[20:14]
organize this effort. And we've got
[20:18]
these wonderful students and academics
[20:19]
up at WSU. So, let's take advantage.
[20:24]
» Um any questions,
[20:26]
comments?
[20:27]
» Yes. So with that, open up for any
[20:28]
questions uh either for later or related
[20:31]
to the goals that they're they're
[20:34]
proposing. Um and and the thing for us
[20:38]
today, part of it is is as a council,
[20:40]
you set your two-year goals. Uh we then
[20:43]
passed those to uh the various boards,
[20:46]
commissions uh and committees and asked
[20:48]
for them to look and how are they uh
[20:52]
align with what what are the goals that
[20:55]
and priorities the council set up. Some
[20:58]
of them you're going to find their
[21:00]
specific RCWs that are separate from uh
[21:04]
working under the direction of the
[21:06]
council. some some some of them are
[21:07]
separate where they have duties that are
[21:08]
specific assigned by an RCW as opposed
[21:11]
to just the council. So you'll you'll
[21:13]
get a mix of that like when we get to
[21:14]
the historic preservation committee um
[21:17]
in that way. So with that, any questions
[21:20]
or or comments that you have related to
[21:22]
what was presented?
[21:26]
Council member Schumis. And then
[21:28]
» I don't have a [clears throat] question.
[21:29]
I just had a comment. I didn't know what
[21:32]
to expect really going into this. It's
[21:34]
like I kind I looked at these, but I
[21:36]
just think it's really amazing the way
[21:38]
that you spent the time writing every
[21:41]
how it comes back to our goals like
[21:44]
really outlining that for us to see and
[21:46]
I really appreciate that very much. That
[21:49]
was probably a whole extra night's worth
[21:50]
of work. Um, but I think these are
[21:53]
amazing. I think environmental policies
[21:55]
are really amazing and I just wanted to
[21:56]
thank you.
[21:59]
If I may,
[22:00]
» Go ahead.
[22:00]
» Uh, I would, uh, put a just a note out
[22:04]
about the wonderful city staff that we
[22:06]
have very supportive and very helpful in
[22:09]
producing this kind of report.
[22:11]
» Council member Waller.
[22:15]
» Thank you, Mr. Mayor.
[22:16]
[clears throat and cough]
[22:17]
I will say um, I'm very impressed with
[22:20]
how
[22:23]
everything has come along in your group.
[22:25]
You know, back in 2012, Derek Scog, uh,
[22:29]
past city council member and I had
[22:31]
fought very hard to try and, um, get
[22:35]
some sort of environmental
[22:37]
um, committee at the city. Um, and
[22:43]
as many of us will know, it sometimes
[22:46]
takes many takes many many years, uh, a
[22:50]
decade. Um but what has come from that
[22:55]
is a very dedicated group, a very
[22:58]
trustworthy
[22:59]
group and um
[23:03]
you know instead of me having to look
[23:06]
through is this being done right? Is
[23:07]
this being done right? Because as you
[23:09]
know spending spending some time over at
[23:13]
NASA Langley on on environmental
[23:16]
satellites, it's something that's very
[23:19]
uh near and dear to my heart.
[23:21]
Um, but it does seem like I I don't need
[23:24]
to be concerned at all. So, I appreciate
[23:26]
your hard work, your dedication, your
[23:28]
passion. I do have a question. Something
[23:31]
that has come up especially um I see
[23:36]
ASWSU some rep representatives here.
[23:39]
Appreciate that. Um, in the last couple
[23:42]
of years, I've had some conversations
[23:44]
with some uh, representatives and their
[23:48]
questions have come around dark sky
[23:51]
initiatives and whether that is in the
[23:55]
purview of an environmental resilience
[23:59]
commission. That would be my question.
[24:03]
I don't have an answer for the dark
[24:04]
skies initiative or those types of
[24:07]
efforts. It's something actually we've
[24:09]
mentioned in the commission meetings
[24:10]
before.
[24:12]
» Um, and I think we had the same question
[24:14]
that we weren't entirely sure if it was
[24:15]
in the purview of the of the commission.
[24:19]
It is a quality of life issue and it
[24:22]
could be. Um, so hopefully we can get
[24:25]
back to you with an answer on that.
[24:27]
» And just so anybody uh here, I don't
[24:29]
have the initiative right in front, but
[24:33]
some people may say, what is this? Is
[24:35]
this a conspiracy thing? dark skies
[24:37]
initiative. It's really reducing um
[24:41]
light pollution and uh you know light
[24:45]
pollution leads to um migratory uh
[24:49]
disruptions, bird disruptions. Also, of
[24:52]
course, we're able you know to see more
[24:54]
of the um sky, the beautiful sky, you
[24:58]
know, as it gets dark if we have less
[25:00]
lights or lights that are facing, you
[25:02]
know, more towards the ground. And if
[25:05]
you've ever really wanted a close spot
[25:10]
to see
[25:12]
how amazing the night sky is that's near
[25:15]
and close to close to home,
[25:18]
[clears throat] take a little walk or a
[25:20]
drive up to the Jedit Observatory
[25:23]
and turn your back to the observatory
[25:27]
more towards the horse where they take
[25:30]
the horses around your back to the
[25:32]
stadium and just look up and it's
[25:36]
phenomenal what you can see. So anyways,
[25:40]
thank you. I would at a future time love
[25:43]
to discuss dark skies with yourself and
[25:46]
the ARC. Thanks.
[25:48]
» Great. Thank you,
[25:49]
» Council Member Fjarn.
[25:53]
» I I thought I saw if I if I if I missed
[25:55]
it,
[25:56]
» You probably did. I'm just going to pile
[25:58]
on the compliments, Larry. Thank you so
[25:59]
much to you and uh your committee for
[26:01]
the work that you're doing. I know you
[26:03]
mentioned uh future outreach and
[26:05]
collaboration with WSU, but I was really
[26:07]
excited to see a youth advisory council
[26:09]
as well in the in the goals. Uh could
[26:12]
you expand a little bit more what the
[26:14]
committee has planned for that?
[26:20]
» I think yeah, I don't know what kind of
[26:22]
details I might I might add to that. um
[26:25]
just that you know we want to build
[26:27]
we're actually more I'd say in kind of a
[26:29]
factf finding and and getting the
[26:31]
thoughts and opinions of other groups at
[26:34]
this point so I think that's really the
[26:35]
key to it
[26:40]
any other comments questions
[26:44]
great thank you very much Larry
[26:46]
and I see Desire's been able to join us
[26:48]
so we'll go back to the arts commission
[26:51]
so Desire Greystone Stone,
[26:58]
» My apologies. I I had it in my calendar
[27:01]
at 6:00. So, [laughter]
[27:04]
» We we we I I heard a few grumblings as
[27:07]
people were coming in earlier [laughter]
[27:09]
about about challenges. So, you're not
[27:12]
the only one that had challenges getting
[27:13]
here.
[27:14]
» Thank you. Um so, we Oh, my phone.
[27:18]
Sorry. Um, we sent over um part of our
[27:22]
our annual report. Is are we doing the
[27:24]
annual report? I just want to make sure
[27:26]
I'm doing the right thing.
[27:28]
» Okay, good. [laughter]
[27:30]
Just want to make sure I'm doing the
[27:31]
right thing. We're doing six different
[27:32]
things. So, our annual report basically
[27:35]
um encompasses all of the things that
[27:37]
we've been doing, which includes um
[27:41]
making sure that the community
[27:42]
understands the importance for art for
[27:44]
all and how it um provides for the
[27:47]
economic and community development.
[27:50]
We're also um in a involving um starting
[27:54]
to work with thanks to the mayor um
[27:56]
registering part of our uh Pullman as
[27:59]
the creative district within Washington
[28:02]
state. We're in the very beginning plans
[28:04]
of that. Um we've also are working on
[28:07]
encouraging the use of parks and open
[28:09]
spaces for live performances. Um looking
[28:12]
at culinary as part of the arts,
[28:14]
developing a rotating art exhibit here
[28:16]
at the city buildings showcasing various
[28:19]
arts. um and themes and age groups and
[28:22]
all of that. And then also um creating
[28:25]
and maintaining an online data database
[28:28]
for the visual arts community, looking
[28:30]
at all city art and then also starting
[28:33]
to add into that some of the private art
[28:35]
so that if somebody walks around they
[28:37]
can they could look and see what that um
[28:40]
what is that art, who was the artist,
[28:42]
where did it come from, that kind of
[28:43]
thing. And then we're also um working on
[28:46]
the next part of of asking for a 1% um
[28:50]
for the arts pro program incorporated
[28:52]
into the capital improvement plan so
[28:54]
that we can continue to work on adding
[28:57]
art into Pullman. So those are the big
[29:00]
things that we've done. Um and
[29:04]
um I welcome any questions that you
[29:07]
might have about where we are with all
[29:09]
of that. Um, part of the reason that I
[29:12]
know that one of the things that we want
[29:14]
to do is continue what started a few
[29:17]
years back with the wraps of the utility
[29:20]
boxes, but right now we have no budget.
[29:23]
So, that's one of those things that we
[29:24]
would put that put that toward. Um, and
[29:27]
then also part of the creative district
[29:29]
itself because that also takes a little
[29:31]
bit of funding to to move forward. So
[29:36]
» So with that any Council Member Weller?
[29:40]
» So I love that this is getting started
[29:43]
again and you're the perfect person.
[29:46]
So I'm I'm very glad uh because I know
[29:49]
your passion and I I feel it all the
[29:51]
time and I love the building and seeing
[29:53]
Anyways, I could go on and on about your
[29:55]
your space. Um, my question is, are
[29:58]
there collaborations in the future
[30:00]
looking with uh looking at working with
[30:03]
uh I'm gonna get the name wrong. Schnitz
[30:07]
Schnitzer
[30:08]
» Schnitzer Schnitzer Art Gallery at WSU.
[30:12]
» Yeah, they're part of they're part of
[30:14]
both the arts commission. Cara's on the
[30:16]
arts commission with me and then they're
[30:18]
also a part of the um creative art
[30:20]
district. So they're also well part of
[30:24]
this because you know they're part of
[30:25]
the community.
[30:26]
» Yeah. And the the Great. I'm glad to
[30:28]
hear it. Um and the other question is
[30:31]
you know we have a lot of retaining
[30:33]
walls and those so and I always harp on
[30:36]
it when when it comes around the one
[30:40]
right diagonal to the library. You know
[30:44]
there's the retaining wall with the
[30:45]
parking lot and everything like that.
[30:47]
And then as you're going up to WSU,
[30:50]
you know, way back I had talked to
[30:53]
Joanna Bailey, the director for the
[30:55]
library, um, and she was working with
[30:58]
the arts commission, and I thought a
[31:01]
green art type of, you know, the moss,
[31:04]
the green green art green graffiti.
[31:08]
» Yes.
[31:09]
» That, uh, you know, other cities have
[31:11]
used and things like that. But are there
[31:14]
future plans for doing something with
[31:17]
some of those retaining walls?
[31:20]
» I think that we would be open to
[31:22]
anything that involves art, honestly.
[31:24]
Um, and that's not one that has come up
[31:27]
in in our purview, but but as you say
[31:29]
it, I'm like, yes, let's do it.
[31:31]
[laughter]
[31:32]
Um, yeah. So I think part of the whole
[31:35]
idea of not only the the um the creative
[31:38]
district is to invite as many different
[31:40]
kinds of art as as possible and it's a
[31:43]
creative district not just art. So the
[31:46]
creativity of um being a brewer that
[31:49]
could be a part of creativity um
[31:52]
culinary arts um the um performing arts
[31:57]
but but so much more than just art but
[31:59]
just being creative. What are the
[32:01]
different ways that we that our
[32:02]
community can be creative, including
[32:05]
with the design of where the creative
[32:07]
district is? [laughter]
[32:10]
» I'm I'm I'm getting all excited. So, uh
[32:13]
Yeah. Yeah. No, I'm loving where your
[32:14]
mind is is going on this and you're
[32:16]
perfect. Great. Thank you.
[32:18]
» Thank you,
[32:18]
» Council Member Parks.
[32:20]
» Just a follow-up question about what you
[32:23]
just said. That was my question. is have
[32:25]
the
[32:27]
do you know the perimeters of of the are
[32:31]
a creative district yet? Would it be
[32:33]
primarily in downtown or what would that
[32:36]
» So we just had our second meeting for
[32:38]
that um last week and one of the things
[32:42]
that we talked about was looking at all
[32:44]
the different places where we do have
[32:45]
creative um parts of this community.
[32:49]
Um and what
[32:51]
» [clears throat]
[32:51]
» Um the mayor said was that a lot of um
[32:54]
communities get really um creative in
[32:56]
how they create their creative district
[32:59]
and so it looks like a really weird
[33:00]
animal. Um so that we could go up to
[33:03]
include schnitzer and down to include um
[33:06]
PCT and you know those kind so we could
[33:09]
make it part of the um creative district
[33:11]
is it has to be accessible
[33:13]
» And so there has to be a walkability
[33:16]
part of it. So that is one of the the
[33:17]
criteria and um so that so yes but we
[33:22]
haven't we haven't like put a map out
[33:24]
and yeah so we're still looking at all
[33:27]
that.
[33:28]
» Um you mentioned funding for being able
[33:31]
to um start this project or you know for
[33:35]
this project. Is this something that DPA
[33:37]
could help with at all?
[33:39]
» I think that they're they are they would
[33:41]
be a partner in all of this. Yeah. Um,
[33:44]
one of the one of the another criteria
[33:46]
that has to happen for the creative
[33:48]
district is we have to have um a and
[33:50]
mayor help me if I if I misspa speak,
[33:53]
but it's you have to have um a a
[33:58]
oh my gosh words. um you have to have a
[34:01]
um some kind of a committee or an
[34:03]
organization that has 20,000 um not
[34:07]
necessarily for the the um arts for the
[34:11]
creative district, but it has to but it
[34:13]
has to show that there is a um that
[34:16]
there is a um community request for it,
[34:21]
that there's buyin. And so having
[34:23]
somebody having somebody behind you that
[34:25]
has that 20,000 um helps show the state
[34:29]
that the community is serious.
[34:32]
» You're you're you're doing great.
[34:34]
» Am I doing okay? All right. [laughter]
[34:36]
» You're doing you're doing great. Um uh
[34:39]
what she's describing is uh as a part of
[34:41]
the the creative district you would have
[34:44]
uh one entity that is kind of the lead
[34:46]
entity that is is recognized it goes to
[34:49]
and that entity h needs to have a budget
[34:52]
of at least 20,000 just to show that the
[34:54]
entity is a viable entity. It's not that
[34:56]
that money goes to the creative
[34:57]
district. Um and in other cities when
[35:01]
we're talking creative districts uh
[35:03]
sometimes the city is that entity
[35:05]
sometimes it's the downtown association.
[35:07]
Sometimes it's the chamber, uh, a main
[35:09]
street program, um, sometimes the arts
[35:13]
commission,
[35:13]
» Right? It could be a single, it could be
[35:15]
a a a nonprofit of its own that they
[35:19]
pulled together and have that. So, yeah.
[35:21]
» Yeah. So, that that's just part of the
[35:23]
process is that this being worked on and
[35:25]
and and
[35:27]
right now what it is is is and this is
[35:30]
going to be the biggest challenge is
[35:32]
coming up. What is what is the vision
[35:34]
that everybody can agree on? And and if
[35:37]
you think about our our creatives uh
[35:39]
have very creative visions and so how do
[35:41]
we get them all to agree on this is the
[35:43]
vision [laughter]
[35:44]
and it's going to be good.
[35:46]
» It's going to be fun and um yeah, it's
[35:48]
going to be great. So, any other
[35:49]
questions?
[35:50]
» Any other questions?
[35:52]
» Thank you all.
[35:53]
» If not, thank you Desiree. Uh next up
[35:55]
for the Historic Preservation
[35:57]
Commission, Ned Warick.
[36:00]
» Good to have you here.
[36:12]
Thank you for this opportunity to
[36:14]
address the city council and possibly
[36:16]
increase your awareness of the historic
[36:18]
preservation commission. Um the report
[36:21]
that was provided does a good job of
[36:23]
summarizing our goals, how they align
[36:25]
with the city council's goals and along
[36:28]
with some of our accomplishments. So, I
[36:30]
won't try to actually go through what's
[36:31]
included in the report, but I'll try to
[36:33]
highlight a few of those things. Um, I
[36:36]
think I've probably told the council
[36:38]
prior, but there are new members on the
[36:40]
council. The Historic Preservation is uh
[36:42]
commission is made up of seven
[36:44]
commissioners. It is distinct in that I
[36:46]
believe it's the only commission that
[36:48]
has required expertise in the membership
[36:50]
of the commission. And so at least three
[36:53]
of our uh members have to have some
[36:55]
association with architecture,
[36:57]
archaeology, history, folklore, things
[36:59]
like that. Um I am blessed with having
[37:01]
an amazing commission that sits beside
[37:03]
me. We do have two new members in the
[37:05]
past year and I was very fortunate with
[37:08]
who we we were able to add and so thank
[37:10]
you to the council for confirming those
[37:12]
people and thank you to those
[37:13]
commissioners. Another big shout out to
[37:16]
the city staff. Ariel Maderas is amazing
[37:19]
and there can her contributions to the
[37:22]
city specifically to the historic
[37:24]
preservation commission but in so many
[37:25]
other ways cannot be overstated. She is
[37:28]
an amazing staff member and I appreciate
[37:30]
her every month actually all the time
[37:32]
that that we are working on historic
[37:34]
preservation issues. Um couple of the uh
[37:38]
accomplishments that have happened over
[37:40]
the past year or so for the historic
[37:42]
preservation. We've added two more uh
[37:44]
properties to our historical register. A
[37:47]
big another shout out to Tonnie in that
[37:50]
we now have a building downtown that is
[37:52]
on our historic register. And so Pullman
[37:54]
is a little unique. A lot of towns and
[37:56]
mosque is an example of this is where
[37:58]
the historic district starts in downtown
[38:00]
and then spreads in Pullman. It has
[38:02]
started up on College Hill and it's
[38:03]
starting to spread down. And so Pioneer
[38:05]
Center and now Rico Smokehouse and also
[38:08]
moving up the hill towards Gladish is
[38:10]
the uh telephone exchange building at
[38:12]
125 Northeast Olsen. Um we did uh accept
[38:16]
two special tax valuations which is some
[38:19]
of the RCW assigned duties that we have
[38:22]
is we have the power as a commission to
[38:24]
grant a essentially a tax freeze for 10
[38:27]
years for comm for properties that are
[38:29]
on the register that are preserved. Um,
[38:33]
two items in conclusion here that I hope
[38:36]
that the council is aware of and that
[38:37]
hope that you'll see in the future. Um,
[38:40]
we are the recipient, the city is the
[38:42]
recipient of a certified local
[38:43]
government grant from the uh, state
[38:46]
DAHHP department and that is
[38:49]
investigating the viability and
[38:51]
providing the underpinnings for
[38:52]
potentially developing a historic
[38:54]
district in downtown Pullman. Um this is
[38:56]
thanks to a lot of momentum that DPA has
[38:59]
generated but also in terms of looking
[39:01]
at some of the individual property
[39:02]
owners downtown looking at this as being
[39:04]
a positive thing for the city. And
[39:06]
[snorts] the other is the Red Brick
[39:07]
Roads Monument which is something that
[39:09]
you may or may not be aware is on the
[39:11]
CIP. It is included in the CIP process.
[39:13]
It's just unfunded um through uh
[39:17]
essentially passing the hat among
[39:19]
different city organizations and members
[39:21]
of the commission. We are up to $5,000
[39:24]
that have been raised on the private
[39:25]
side in donations for that. It is not a
[39:27]
terribly large budget item and we do
[39:30]
think it would be one thing that would
[39:31]
be if we had friends that came in from
[39:34]
out of town. Wouldn't it be nice to walk
[39:35]
up on the bluff, look at the the view of
[39:37]
downtown from up there and be able to
[39:39]
marvel at the National Historic Register
[39:41]
plaque and the local register plaque
[39:44]
that we have sitting in a closet wishing
[39:46]
that it had some place to be displayed.
[39:48]
With that, I'd be happy to answer any
[39:50]
questions the council may have.
[39:53]
With that, Council Member Schumis,
[39:55]
» Again, I don't have any questions. I
[39:57]
would just like to thank you and the
[40:00]
whole commission um and the DPA,
[40:03]
although they're not here, for their
[40:05]
commitment to
[40:07]
uh helping to make downtown a historic
[40:09]
area. I think that's amazing and I'm so
[40:12]
excited to join you guys in that. And I
[40:14]
just wanted to thank you for your
[40:17]
contribution to Rico's as well. Much
[40:19]
appreciated. Thank you.
[40:20]
» Thank you. I I am thrilled that we have
[40:22]
a downtown property and I enjoy that one
[40:26]
just because the story to be told is so
[40:27]
good.
[40:31]
» Um, one thing I wanted to point out is I
[40:34]
very much appreciate your annual walking
[40:36]
tour that you do and and the fact that
[40:38]
you also had a special one for seniors.
[40:42]
Um, and so that was something that I I I
[40:44]
I appreciated that not only did you have
[40:46]
the tour, but then they also thought
[40:48]
about for those that might have some
[40:50]
mobility issues. Is there a way to be
[40:52]
able to still have them experience that?
[40:54]
So, and if you wanted to say more about
[40:56]
that. I I did skip that in my notes, but
[40:58]
a big shout out to my the the vice chair
[41:01]
of our commission who you'll hear from
[41:03]
as the chair of the planning commission,
[41:05]
but John Anderson is who spearheads our
[41:07]
senior walking tour and he does that
[41:10]
single-handedly without much support
[41:12]
from staff or commissioners and I very
[41:15]
much appreciate that and I think that's
[41:16]
one of our highlights. As a commission
[41:18]
as a whole, we do host a walking tour
[41:20]
every summer. It kind of bounces around.
[41:22]
We keep trying to fine-tune it to find
[41:24]
the right weather and the right mix of
[41:26]
buildings. But if you watch in the
[41:28]
summer, June or July, um we will do an
[41:31]
evening, usually a Friday night walking
[41:33]
tour and we'll touch on five to seven
[41:35]
properties around town. And we have a
[41:37]
good time in learning about the history
[41:39]
of those and then being able to talk
[41:40]
about it with people on a beautiful
[41:41]
summer evening. So, it is one of those
[41:44]
things. We don't we don't get huge
[41:45]
attendance, but it is one of those fun
[41:47]
things you can do in Pullman that you
[41:48]
get to learn more about our community.
[41:50]
So, thank you for that reminder.
[41:53]
» Council member Vance,
[41:56]
» Thank you for your presentation. Um,
[41:59]
with the 5,000 that's been raised
[42:01]
privately, um, I guess how much total
[42:04]
needs to be raised for that ballpark.
[42:06]
» Well, the longer we wait, the more it
[42:08]
costs. The most recent estimate is in
[42:11]
the $ 35 to $40,000 range. And so, I I
[42:14]
maybe we can pass the hat often enough
[42:16]
and fast enough that we would catch up.
[42:18]
Um, there is hope that this would be
[42:20]
identified as maybe a tourist attraction
[42:23]
or as a parks and wreck property or
[42:26]
project. Um, it is, like I said, it's on
[42:29]
the CIP. It is a minor project. You have
[42:31]
much bigger budget
[42:34]
demons to wrestle with than that, but it
[42:36]
is one that is near and dear to the the
[42:38]
commission's heart, and we will continue
[42:39]
to try to press for that.
[42:41]
» Thank you, Council Member Schumis.
[42:44]
» Can I just piggy back off that question?
[42:45]
Where does a person go to donate for
[42:47]
that?
[42:48]
» Um, actually that's a great question.
[42:53]
» Uh, where do you donate to the uh
[42:56]
» The front desk?
[43:00]
» Yes.
[43:00]
» U So, Kurt, do you know within the parks
[43:04]
and wreck with the different donations?
[43:06]
Is it listed in that? It's not there.
[43:08]
Okay. I was just trying to think if it
[43:10]
was there.
[43:12]
So it's a So that's where you you would
[43:14]
go to donate.
[43:15]
» Ask Eric.
[43:16]
» We'll have to highlight that in the
[43:18]
next.
[43:19]
» And so for those watching at home, you
[43:21]
can donate in the city at the at the
[43:24]
front desk. [laughter]
[43:27]
» Any other with that? Ned, thank you very
[43:30]
much.
[43:30]
» Thank you.
[43:32]
» Uh and then the last presentation
[43:34]
tonight uh with committees and then
[43:35]
we'll go back through the ones that
[43:36]
didn't present. So planning commission
[43:38]
John Anderson. John, good to have you
[43:41]
here.
[43:48]
» U my name is John Anderson. I'm uh here
[43:50]
as chair of the planning commission. I
[43:52]
do want to say if you think you have a
[43:53]
good time on the historic walking tour,
[43:56]
those of us on the commission really
[43:57]
look forward to it. It re really is a
[43:59]
good time. Um [clears throat]
[44:02]
I'm here as chair of the planning
[44:04]
commission. Uh we typically communicate
[44:06]
with you folks on paper. You get lots
[44:09]
and lots of paper from us at various
[44:11]
times, but I'm taking this opportunity
[44:13]
to address you to show that the planning
[44:15]
commission consists of real people who
[44:17]
consider issues very carefully before
[44:20]
making recommendations to you. The
[44:22]
commission consists of seven people just
[44:24]
like me who are nominated by the mayor
[44:26]
and approved by you, the council. I
[44:28]
assure you that whenever you have
[44:29]
something from us in your packet, we
[44:31]
have read everything carefully. in
[44:34]
particular when people write letters or
[44:35]
messages to us. Uh we all seven members
[44:41]
of the commission have read every letter
[44:43]
and listen to every presentation. The
[44:45]
people who write or speak to us expect
[44:47]
us to take their opinions seriously and
[44:49]
we do. They also expect that when we
[44:52]
make a recommendation to you, not only
[44:55]
will we consider their opinions, but
[44:56]
that the council will hear their voices
[44:58]
as well through the planning commission.
[45:01]
It isn't only the loudest voices that we
[45:02]
hear, but the ones expressing the most
[45:04]
careful judgments accompanied by the
[45:06]
rationale for those judgments.
[45:09]
I urge you to consider carefully which
[45:12]
voices you will hear, especially when
[45:14]
people take advantage of a council
[45:16]
meeting to be the last voices that you
[45:18]
hear. In many cases, when the planning
[45:20]
commission has heard from the first
[45:22]
people to speak or to write, the
[45:23]
commissioners are remembering those
[45:25]
voices when we make a recommendation. I
[45:28]
hope you also consider those same people
[45:30]
who were the first to speak. And I hope
[45:32]
that you will remember that seven
[45:34]
volunteers from the community who are
[45:36]
making recommendations to you based on
[45:38]
the most careful deliberations.
[45:40]
That's all I have to say. If you have
[45:42]
questions for me, I'll be glad to try to
[45:43]
answer them.
[45:46]
» Council Weller.
[45:47]
» Thank you, M. Mayor John. I I so much
[45:50]
appreciate what you just said. I think
[45:53]
that gets to the heart of
[45:58]
I mean really I I
[46:01]
you all all of the commissions
[46:04]
um put in your your time, your passion,
[46:07]
your energy.
[46:09]
You are the ones that [clears throat]
[46:12]
and I've met with a quite a few
[46:14]
different commission members from
[46:16]
different, you know, over the years. We
[46:19]
rely on what you go through. we get a
[46:23]
small snippet
[46:25]
and all of you have and take so much
[46:29]
time and I think that often gets lost
[46:35]
on us as a council and not just not just
[46:38]
just the current council but even in the
[46:40]
past. So, I I just wanted to make sure
[46:43]
to take some time and and tell you thank
[46:45]
you and to all the commission members
[46:48]
because it's
[46:50]
they're not getting paid
[46:52]
and you know they're not doing it to,
[46:57]
you know, have some ulterior motive or
[47:00]
agenda. You're doing it because you care
[47:03]
and that that
[47:05]
is really amazing. So, I want to just
[47:06]
say thank you so much and thank you for
[47:09]
putting that out there because that's
[47:10]
very important.
[47:16]
Any others?
[47:19]
If not, thank you very much, John.
[47:23]
Um,
[47:25]
so what I'd like to do is go back and
[47:27]
kind of is touched on any that we didn't
[47:31]
have presenters for and and you'll see
[47:34]
Pat was going to present, but she said,
[47:35]
"Hey, I presented not that long ago
[47:37]
about lodging tax, so she deferred her
[47:40]
time." But
[47:41]
» Mayor, um, Kate Watts from the library
[47:43]
board would like to present as well. I
[47:44]
missed her in the report.
[47:47]
» Oh, I
[47:49]
I sorry I did. I missed it.
[47:51]
» Okay, so Kate,
[47:56]
» We we we we do love you. [laughter]
[48:00]
» Thing things get lost in translation.
[48:01]
It's okay. We're good. We're good. We're
[48:03]
good.
[48:04]
» Um so, good evening. I am Kate. Um I'm
[48:07]
the chair of the Neil Public Library
[48:08]
Board of Trustees and um I'm just
[48:12]
honored to serve on the board. Um really
[48:15]
given the importance of access and
[48:17]
information and resources as Mayor
[48:18]
Benjamin noted um in his proclamation
[48:21]
earlier. Uh before I talk about the
[48:23]
board's goals for 2026 and beyond, I
[48:25]
want to recognize two things we are
[48:26]
particularly grateful for. First, the
[48:29]
board is deeply appreciative of our
[48:31]
library staff. They've continued to
[48:33]
provide excellent service to our
[48:35]
community while adjusting thoughtfully
[48:37]
and creatively as necessary in response
[48:39]
to budget reductions. So to Stacy and
[48:42]
the crew, we're just really really
[48:44]
grateful for the work that you put into
[48:46]
finding solutions. Um we really do
[48:49]
recognize the work that that that takes
[48:52]
and we are enormously grateful for the
[48:54]
staff's ongoing commitment to both the
[48:56]
library and the people that it serves.
[48:58]
Um we are also grateful and frankly um
[49:01]
still very amazed by the generous gift
[49:05]
from Elellanar Makowsky's estate to the
[49:08]
library. It is a remarkable investment
[49:11]
um in the Pullman community and the
[49:13]
library's future and what a lovely
[49:16]
surprise it was. Um the future is very
[49:19]
much what the board has been thinking
[49:20]
about as we developed our goals. Um this
[49:23]
is to my knowledge and the best I could
[49:25]
find the board's first formal set of
[49:28]
goals. So that was an exciting process
[49:30]
and I think a very important exercise
[49:32]
for us to begin. Um we see the goals as
[49:38]
priorities for us to begin an ongoing
[49:40]
process of planning, evaluation, and
[49:42]
improvement. Our goals focus, as you can
[49:45]
see um in the document, on maintaining
[49:47]
excellent library services,
[49:49]
strengthening community partnerships,
[49:51]
increasing access and engagement,
[49:53]
improving our facilities, demonstrating
[49:55]
both responsible stewardship and the
[49:57]
library's value to the community, and
[49:59]
strengthening the board's own
[50:00]
governance. We did our best too to
[50:02]
intentionally align our work with the
[50:03]
city's strategic priorities. We do
[50:06]
recognize that some of these are
[50:07]
immediate goals and others require
[50:09]
longer term planning. One of the things
[50:11]
that we want to do is become more
[50:13]
intentional about that planning rather
[50:15]
than treating these goals as simply a
[50:16]
list we revisit once a year. So, as this
[50:19]
is our first set of goals, we're trying
[50:21]
to think very carefully about setting up
[50:23]
a pattern moving forward that will set
[50:25]
up future board um for success. Um, and
[50:29]
so, um, Ariel Maderos has agreed to
[50:32]
spend some time with the board hopefully
[50:33]
in October to talk about strategic
[50:35]
planning and helping us think about how
[50:36]
we can build a sustainable process for
[50:39]
setting priorities, evaluating our
[50:40]
progress, and looking ahead. Thank you,
[50:42]
Ariel, for being willing to work with
[50:44]
us. We appreciate it. Um, ultimately
[50:46]
these goals reflect what we see as the
[50:48]
board's responsibilities to support the
[50:50]
library staff, be thoughtful stewards of
[50:51]
the library and its resources, advocate
[50:54]
for excellent and sustainable services,
[50:56]
and to help ensure that Neil Public
[50:57]
Library continues to be a welcoming and
[50:59]
valuable community resource for all of
[51:01]
Pullman. Thank you for some time to
[51:04]
speak tonight. And if there are any
[51:06]
questions or comments,
[51:09]
» Any any for the library? I start with an
[51:12]
I. I know Ann's going to want to say
[51:13]
something. So, thank you. Council member
[51:15]
Parks.
[51:16]
» Well, thank you. This is wonderful. Um
[51:19]
that we all I mean I witnessed this, but
[51:21]
to see its final form is really really
[51:24]
good. I just want to make the um these
[51:28]
goals really address more than just
[51:30]
being a welcoming place or a place of
[51:33]
resources. It addresses the place in the
[51:36]
community that our library holds, which
[51:38]
is a gathering place, a safe space,
[51:42]
um a welcoming space, a a space for
[51:45]
everybody, no matter who they are or
[51:48]
what they want to do, access in the
[51:51]
library or or just be in the library to
[51:53]
to work. I just told my husband not too
[51:55]
long ago because he said something
[51:57]
about, you know, he was in a coffee shop
[51:59]
or something and I said, you know, you
[52:01]
can buy a coffee and go sit in the
[52:03]
library and work and he was like, "Oh,
[52:05]
yes." You know, without having worrying
[52:07]
about taking up too much time. So things
[52:09]
like that, too. Um, and just and also
[52:11]
the conduit within the community, the
[52:13]
conduit with downtown, with with WSU,
[52:15]
with the schools and with local
[52:18]
entities, with art, things like that. So
[52:20]
when we think about the library, it's
[52:23]
it's really much more than just a
[52:25]
building with books and media in it. It
[52:28]
so it's I support obviously its
[52:30]
importance.
[52:32]
» Thank you. An
[52:32]
» Council member Weller.
[52:36]
» Well, you know, of course I had to say
[52:38]
something.
[52:40]
Um
[52:42]
I grew up in the library. It was my safe
[52:45]
space. Um, as a kid being bullied, that
[52:48]
was where I went. Safe in the books, in
[52:52]
the, you know, bookshelves,
[52:55]
kind of hiding. Um, but always made me
[52:59]
feel welcome. Um, okay. [snorts]
[53:03]
[clears throat and cough]
[53:05]
I'm so impressed about how it's grown
[53:08]
and how under, you know, new leadership.
[53:12]
Um, it continues and
[53:16]
it is
[53:18]
a place. It's a community jewel. I've
[53:20]
always felt that
[53:22]
and um it continues to be. I'm I'm so
[53:25]
impressed. I'm a little angry at Ann for
[53:28]
taking my spot on library board, but I
[53:30]
did give it to her. Um,
[53:34]
I miss you all, but I really appreciate
[53:36]
the place that the library has had for
[53:39]
people like me and and others. And, you
[53:42]
know, keep doing a great job.
[53:44]
» That means a lot. You know, I didn't
[53:46]
grow up in Pullman. I grew up in a
[53:48]
different small town, but the library
[53:49]
was that for me. And so, I yeah, I can I
[53:52]
can really relate to that. I think it's
[53:54]
I think it's a truth for a lot of
[53:55]
people.
[53:57]
» Kate, I appreciate it. you talked about
[53:59]
this is the first time we've gone
[54:00]
through this process and and one of the
[54:03]
things as we were going through the
[54:04]
goals and priorities from the council
[54:06]
side, we were saying, do our boards and
[54:09]
commissions actually line up with the
[54:12]
vision of where we're trying as the as a
[54:14]
council where they're trying to take the
[54:16]
community? And that was why we said,
[54:18]
well, let's pass these down to the
[54:21]
boards, commissions, and committees and
[54:23]
have them take that look at this and
[54:25]
look at with that concept to see um and
[54:30]
also to help each of the boards,
[54:32]
commissions, and committees have a
[54:34]
vision for the future that it's not
[54:37]
that, oh, I'm just doing busy work
[54:39]
because this is the busy work I do, but
[54:42]
instead, what is it that you're building
[54:44]
and and whose lives are you impacting?
[54:46]
acting and and how you're how you're
[54:49]
growing our community. So, I appreciate
[54:52]
how you you talked about seeing that
[54:54]
because that was what we were hoping was
[54:56]
going to get portrayed down is to
[54:58]
understand that we wanted we wanted you
[55:01]
to see that you're part of the process,
[55:03]
not that you're just off doing, you
[55:04]
know, this busy work type of a thing.
[55:06]
So, thank you.
[55:07]
» Thank you. I thank you for saying that.
[55:08]
I I think that it creates a place for
[55:10]
that to be sustained and to not feel
[55:12]
like it is just a one-off here or there,
[55:15]
but that there is a process that we are
[55:17]
a part of and and in communicating back
[55:19]
and forth between the board and the
[55:21]
city. So, thank you.
[55:22]
» Great. Thank you.
[55:25]
So if we look at um the
[55:29]
I just wanted to address we didn't have
[55:31]
presentations from the cemetery
[55:33]
committee the civil service the left
[55:36]
board lodging tax uh parks and wreck and
[55:39]
then the volunteer firefighters uh
[55:41]
relief and pension board. Were there any
[55:44]
are there any comments or questions
[55:47]
council members have on any of those
[55:48]
reports? Because part of this is the the
[55:51]
boards are coming to us saying this is
[55:53]
what they're wanting to work on and and
[55:55]
so far what I've heard from council is
[55:57]
you like the direction they're all
[55:59]
going. You don't have any concerns or or
[56:02]
want to pull anything back if if nothing
[56:04]
else you want to expand their vision is
[56:06]
what I'm hearing in some cases with
[56:07]
that. Council member McDonald.
[56:10]
So, I definitely appreciate uh this and
[56:12]
I love the way that uh you all kind of
[56:15]
aligned the our goals with where you're
[56:18]
headed. I'm not sure exactly how we're
[56:21]
supposed to respond to uh some of
[56:24]
there's some specifics about like asking
[56:26]
for additional headcount and that kind
[56:28]
of stuff. Obviously, we're not in the
[56:30]
best position to be doing that. just
[56:33]
like do we just take that under like
[56:35]
advisement [snorts] or like that's the
[56:38]
only thing that makes me nervous is when
[56:39]
there's like extra spending it's like I
[56:41]
don't know if we have money for that.
[56:43]
» Well and and that's so uh if you
[56:46]
remember uh you set goals and policies
[56:49]
and and then and goals and priorities
[56:52]
those are used to inform the staff as
[56:54]
they're working to bring a a proposed
[56:58]
budget to you. this is another piece
[57:01]
that's in there. Um, and so this is
[57:04]
something that if it's something that is
[57:06]
is important, it'd be good to
[57:08]
communicate now as staff is working
[57:11]
through this. Uh, but under but as you
[57:13]
said, we're under this constraint. Um,
[57:16]
in the process. So, so it's it's this
[57:20]
fine line of yes, understanding the
[57:23]
value, but at the same time, it's we're
[57:26]
not flushed with a lot of revenue right
[57:28]
now. Um, and I think that's I think
[57:30]
that's what you were more more saying in
[57:32]
that case.
[57:33]
» Yeah, definitely. I like I love that a
[57:35]
lot of you pulled in the we're in a
[57:37]
unique community as a a university town
[57:41]
pulling in the the ways to connect with
[57:44]
uh with the university itself and some
[57:47]
of the people that come with the
[57:49]
university and I think just trying to
[57:51]
find creative ways to keep traction on
[57:53]
those things recognizing that we're
[57:55]
under some constraints there.
[57:57]
» Yeah. Other
[57:59]
comments, thoughts? Council member
[58:02]
Parks.
[58:04]
» Uh, as a council representative on the
[58:05]
left one board, I just wanted to
[58:08]
highlight um the
[58:12]
tenative future possibly of the funding
[58:15]
for this from the state of Washington.
[58:17]
Just like every single other thing, the
[58:20]
funding is looking they're looking at
[58:22]
cutting the funding significantly. And
[58:24]
for those of you that don't know, this
[58:25]
is a um this is a board that approves
[58:30]
um the city funding um medical care and
[58:36]
um hospitalizations and things for our
[58:40]
uh left one
[58:42]
like police officers and firefighters.
[58:45]
And so, um, it's very important and it
[58:48]
is very expensive because they are
[58:52]
typically they're in a in long-term
[58:54]
care. And so, anyway, I just want I
[58:58]
would like to just make the council
[58:59]
aware that as we're speaking, think
[59:01]
about our legislative priorities. I
[59:03]
mean, or if we're just meeting with them
[59:05]
to um to kind of have this on their
[59:09]
radar as well.
[59:11]
» Yeah. and and we're having that
[59:12]
conversation at the association
[59:14]
Washington city's legislative committee
[59:16]
because one of the things that the state
[59:18]
is is doing is they're um basically
[59:22]
doing a clawback of funds. So they're
[59:25]
they're pulling funds to reduce the
[59:27]
number of funds that's available. But
[59:29]
there is a legal question that's going
[59:31]
on because those funds were initially
[59:33]
paid in by the individual and by the
[59:36]
cities. But now the clawback is going to
[59:39]
the state and so there's a question of
[59:42]
should actually the money be returned to
[59:44]
people or should it be returned to the
[59:46]
cities that or the employers that paid
[59:48]
into it. So there's there's some
[59:51]
conversations that are happening because
[59:52]
of that. Council member Weller,
[59:56]
» Can I just say [clears throat]
[59:57]
thank you Ann for sharing that. Um it's
[1:00:02]
really disappointing that the state
[1:00:06]
shame on them.
[1:00:08]
» So
[1:00:13]
» Yeah.
[1:00:14]
» Anyway, but yeah, it's just
[1:00:16]
» Yeah, I just want to bring it out.
[1:00:18]
» It's not okay. Yeah.
[1:00:22]
Any other council member Vance?
[1:00:25]
» I just wanted to express my appreciation
[1:00:27]
for all the presenters uh tonight. Those
[1:00:30]
uh great reports. Thank you.
[1:00:32]
» Yeah.
[1:00:34]
And we didn't have a presentation with
[1:00:35]
parks and wreck, but is it is a very
[1:00:39]
hefty report as they talked about all
[1:00:42]
all the parks and wreck commission is
[1:00:44]
involved in and touches. It's it's
[1:00:46]
important that way. Uh the last thing
[1:00:48]
that I I did want to leave us with is we
[1:00:51]
just heard uh from those that are
[1:00:54]
serving on these uh boards, commissions,
[1:00:57]
and committees uh and you heard their
[1:01:00]
passion and and what they're doing. We
[1:01:03]
do have some openings that are
[1:01:05]
happening. And I want to make sure uh
[1:01:08]
just once again put that plug in. We
[1:01:10]
currently have openings on the planning
[1:01:13]
commission, environmental resilience and
[1:01:15]
the cemetery uh committees and the
[1:01:20]
library has openings that is that's
[1:01:23]
going to be happening at the end of the
[1:01:24]
year. Uh and they'd actually like to
[1:01:27]
start the review process because the
[1:01:29]
board actually does part of the review
[1:01:31]
before it comes to me. So the library
[1:01:33]
board is also uh has o openings too for
[1:01:38]
it. So, and you can go to the city's
[1:01:40]
website in order to submit an
[1:01:42]
application and and start that process.
[1:01:45]
And did you
[1:01:46]
» Yeah, I was just going to I was going to
[1:01:48]
mention this tonight and then I thought,
[1:01:50]
well, no, I probably don't need to. But
[1:01:51]
I was on there yesterday because
[1:01:52]
somebody was asking me about being
[1:01:55]
involved in some city commissions or or
[1:01:58]
committees and um I told them about
[1:02:01]
police advisory and on the website they
[1:02:04]
are listed as one that have vacancies
[1:02:06]
» And and the police advisory isn't filled
[1:02:09]
through the council. It's actually
[1:02:10]
filled through the police chief.
[1:02:12]
» No, I know. Oh,
[1:02:13]
» But but um and so I I don't want to
[1:02:16]
speak out of hand
[1:02:18]
whether of
[1:02:22]
because I know we had paused recruitment
[1:02:25]
and I didn't know if we were ready to
[1:02:27]
recruit again for the police advisory
[1:02:29]
commission.
[1:02:30]
» There are
[1:02:32]
» If you can come to the mic,
[1:02:36]
[laughter]
[1:02:37]
sorry I'm putting you on the spot with
[1:02:38]
this one. We
[1:02:41]
um council No, that's why I'm here is to
[1:02:44]
to help out when I can. uh the advisory
[1:02:46]
committee, we do have some positions
[1:02:48]
that are available and we're going to
[1:02:51]
meet once a month. I highly recommend if
[1:02:53]
someone's interested in joining the
[1:02:54]
advisory committee, it is a public
[1:02:56]
meeting that happens on uh the first
[1:03:00]
Monday of the month, I believe it is at
[1:03:02]
5:30 um here in the council chambers.
[1:03:04]
And they're welcome to attend and kind
[1:03:06]
of get an idea of what what the the
[1:03:08]
advisory committee is about. Um I won't
[1:03:11]
use this time to do any recruiting, but
[1:03:13]
uh please stop by. Thank you.
[1:03:17]
» Great. And with that, thank you for uh
[1:03:20]
th those who were here. We we appreciate
[1:03:23]
your service, your your dedication to
[1:03:25]
our community uh and how you shape our
[1:03:28]
community and make it the welcoming
[1:03:29]
community it is. And you really are the
[1:03:33]
you you touch a lot of the community
[1:03:35]
members before we even get to touch
[1:03:36]
them. So definitely appreciate that.
[1:03:39]
Thank you very much.
[1:03:41]
Next item is the consent agenda. The
[1:03:44]
items listed under the consent agenda
[1:03:45]
considered to be routine in nature and
[1:03:47]
will be enacted by a single motion of
[1:03:49]
the city council without separate
[1:03:51]
discussion. With that, I'd entertain a
[1:03:53]
motion to read the consent agenda by
[1:03:55]
title only.
[1:03:57]
» Second.
[1:03:58]
» Without any discussion,
[1:04:00]
all those in favor signify by saying I.
[1:04:03]
» I.
[1:04:03]
» Any opposed? Motion passes. Uh that if
[1:04:07]
you could please read the consent
[1:04:08]
agenda.
[1:04:08]
» Yes. Thank you, mayor. Uh, item A is a
[1:04:11]
motion to dispense with the reading of
[1:04:13]
the August 25th, 2026 meeting minutes
[1:04:17]
and approve them as submitted. Item B, a
[1:04:19]
motion to approve dispersements for
[1:04:21]
electronic transfers numbered 872
[1:04:24]
through 877 totaling $4,3.71.
[1:04:29]
Item C, a motion to approve the
[1:04:31]
dispersements for accounts payable
[1:04:33]
checks numbered 2011
[1:04:35]
35351
[1:04:37]
through 201135407
[1:04:41]
totaling $259,288.
[1:04:45]
Item D, a motion authorizing the mayor
[1:04:48]
to execute an emergency medical services
[1:04:51]
agreement WSU contract number SPC
[1:04:56]
0004109
[1:04:59]
between Washington State University
[1:05:00]
Athletics and the city of Pullman to
[1:05:03]
provide emergency medical services
[1:05:06]
in conjunction with uh Giza Field
[1:05:09]
football games during the 2026 football
[1:05:12]
season. Item E, a motion authorizing
[1:05:15]
amendment number five to the law
[1:05:17]
enforcement support agreement WSU
[1:05:20]
contract SPC 002964
[1:05:24]
between Washington State University
[1:05:26]
athletics and the city of Pullman to
[1:05:28]
provide police assistance for the 2026
[1:05:31]
football season and other WSU events.
[1:05:34]
Item F, resolution number R-45-26,
[1:05:38]
a resolution authorizing the acceptance
[1:05:40]
and exception, I'm sorry, execution of a
[1:05:44]
universal transit access pass program
[1:05:47]
agreement between the city of Pullman
[1:05:49]
and Washington State University for the
[1:05:51]
2026 2027 school year. And finally,
[1:05:55]
resolution number R-46-26,
[1:05:58]
a resolution establishing locations in
[1:06:01]
the city of Pullman where parking is
[1:06:03]
prohibited. So, do any council members
[1:06:06]
desire to have any items removed from
[1:06:07]
the consent agenda to be discussed
[1:06:09]
separately?
[1:06:12]
Seeing none, I see entertain a motion to
[1:06:14]
approve the consent agenda.
[1:06:16]
» Move to approve.
[1:06:18]
» Second.
[1:06:18]
» Second. With that, any discussion?
[1:06:22]
Seeing none. All those in favor signify
[1:06:24]
by saying I.
[1:06:25]
» I.
[1:06:26]
» Any opposed? Motion passes. Uh, next on
[1:06:30]
the regular agenda that we have R.J. Lot
[1:06:33]
uh related to a resolution around
[1:06:36]
housing. That
[1:06:38]
» Thank you, mayor. Good evening, council.
[1:06:39]
Uh, this item on the agenda this evening
[1:06:41]
is a resolution in support of Catholic
[1:06:43]
Charities. They are looking to conclude
[1:06:46]
conduct a housing market survey for
[1:06:50]
those who are unhoused or who have an
[1:06:53]
income of 60% of the area median income.
[1:06:57]
Uh Catholic Charities provides a wide
[1:07:00]
variety of services. One of those is
[1:07:01]
housing. Um they've got a facility here
[1:07:04]
in Pullman at the intersection of
[1:07:06]
Kamayakin and Mackenzie across the
[1:07:07]
street from the police station.
[1:07:10]
The Catholic Charities has offices
[1:07:12]
throughout Eastern Washington in
[1:07:13]
Spokane. Walaw Wala, Wanachi, Richland,
[1:07:16]
and other locations.
[1:07:18]
Catholic Charities would pay and
[1:07:20]
contract for the study to evaluate the
[1:07:22]
opportunity for them to meet a need here
[1:07:24]
in our community. Catholic Charities
[1:07:26]
would at the end of that study provide
[1:07:29]
that conclusion to the city of Pullman.
[1:07:32]
On August 17th, 2026, the city's housing
[1:07:35]
work group, which contains council
[1:07:37]
members for Jiren, McDonald and Vance,
[1:07:40]
met to discuss and recommend a an
[1:07:43]
approval of a the
[1:07:46]
Catholic Charities doing the market
[1:07:48]
study on housing. So before you is a
[1:07:51]
resolution of support for Catholic
[1:07:54]
Charities to just to do just that,
[1:07:56]
provide a market housing study.
[1:08:00]
So with that uh first is questions of
[1:08:03]
R.J. and then we'll get into discussion
[1:08:05]
related to that with that question. So
[1:08:07]
Council Member Weller
[1:08:09]
or questions or comments. All right. I'm
[1:08:12]
going to say comments here. All right.
[1:08:15]
Yes. Yes. Yes. This has been planned for
[1:08:20]
since 2013.
[1:08:23]
We have been trying to get Catholic
[1:08:26]
Charities. Sorry R.J. I'm not like
[1:08:28]
trying to get intense on you, but I am.
[1:08:31]
All right.
[1:08:33]
Past poverty awareness task force that I
[1:08:36]
was chair on. We were trying to get
[1:08:39]
Catholic Charities to come and look at
[1:08:41]
Pullman and they said, "Ah, you know,
[1:08:44]
we're not sure."
[1:08:46]
So, died down, you know. Meanwhile,
[1:08:50]
homelessness and those in poverty
[1:08:52]
continued to raise rise. Um, fairly
[1:08:56]
recently
[1:08:58]
there was uh a group where
[1:09:03]
I like to call them Herb's heroes and it
[1:09:06]
was formed by Dr. Herb Hill from WSU
[1:09:12]
to once again kind of reanimate the
[1:09:17]
poverty awareness task force because we
[1:09:19]
went down after CO. Um Trevor Vance
[1:09:25]
was there with me when we were beginning
[1:09:28]
to plan and strategize how to best bring
[1:09:31]
this to the city. And I want to thank
[1:09:34]
you so much for being there and and you
[1:09:39]
know pushing forward with this and
[1:09:43]
tend to get a little bit emotional about
[1:09:45]
it, but I will say this is a huge step
[1:09:49]
for us to help those that are homeless
[1:09:51]
and those are in poverty. And um
[1:09:56]
I just I want to thank you R.J. the the
[1:09:59]
housing group for their work on this.
[1:10:02]
It's very important. So, um, anyway,
[1:10:06]
sorry about getting so excited and so
[1:10:09]
passionate, but, uh, yeah, means a lot.
[1:10:12]
» Council member FJarn,
[1:10:16]
» Apologies. I have some words for the
[1:10:18]
discussion portion, but I'll use my time
[1:10:19]
to continually sing praise to R.J. for
[1:10:22]
his support of the housing workg group.
[1:10:24]
Thank you so much. We definitely
[1:10:25]
appreciate uh you being there and your
[1:10:28]
expertise in making affordable housing
[1:10:30]
accessible to everybody in Pullman.
[1:10:32]
» Council member Vance.
[1:10:34]
» Uh thank you. I I do have one quick
[1:10:36]
question and um you might have the
[1:10:39]
answer. If not, that's okay. I believe
[1:10:40]
that um it was specified that after
[1:10:43]
Catholic Charities concluded the survey
[1:10:45]
that they they'd come to council and
[1:10:47]
present on it. That's correct, right?
[1:10:50]
» I don't know if they would come to
[1:10:51]
council, but they would provide that
[1:10:52]
study to us.
[1:10:53]
» Okay, gotcha. That sounds good. Thank
[1:10:55]
you. Um, yeah, I just wanted to express
[1:10:58]
um, you know, I've been involved with
[1:11:00]
uh, the housing from a couple different
[1:11:02]
angles. So, I'm also really excited for
[1:11:04]
for this to be brought forward and um,
[1:11:08]
that that group has an actual name, but
[1:11:10]
I just know it as Herb's Heroes from
[1:11:12]
Council Member Weller as well. So,
[1:11:14]
[laughter]
[1:11:16]
» Any other questions of R.J.? If not, I'd
[1:11:19]
entertain a motion.
[1:11:21]
» Move to approve.
[1:11:23]
» Second. Second with that that if you
[1:11:25]
could read the resolution.
[1:11:27]
» Yes. Uh resolution number R-47-26
[1:11:32]
a resolution providing support for
[1:11:33]
Catholic Charities to perform a housing
[1:11:36]
market study to provide housing for
[1:11:38]
individuals who are unhoused or have an
[1:11:40]
income of 60% of the area median income.
[1:11:45]
» With that discussion, council member
[1:11:46]
Fger.
[1:11:48]
» Thank you. Just a few words from the
[1:11:50]
housing work group. The housing work
[1:11:51]
group supports this study. Uh but we'll
[1:11:53]
continue to focus our work on the
[1:11:55]
missing middle housing between 60 and
[1:11:57]
200% AMI. Uh we hope that Catholic
[1:12:00]
Charities will look into working with
[1:12:02]
existing stakeholders already serving
[1:12:04]
houses households below 60% like the
[1:12:07]
community action center Habitat and
[1:12:10]
Hills and Rivers Trust. Um even though
[1:12:12]
we are not currently pursuing uh rental
[1:12:14]
options in that 60% bracket, uh our work
[1:12:17]
group recognizes that this could be an
[1:12:19]
important gap to fill for non-
[1:12:21]
studentent families. And so, uh, with
[1:12:23]
that, thank you, Catholic Charities.
[1:12:25]
» Council member Weller,
[1:12:27]
» Funny you mentioned that because
[1:12:29]
Community Action Center was a part of
[1:12:30]
the group, Herbs Heroes. Um, I'm we're
[1:12:34]
still trying to figure out homeless work
[1:12:36]
group, something along those lines. But,
[1:12:39]
um, same with, uh, Dr. uh, Dublinsky.
[1:12:43]
Steve Dublink. Uh, yeah, Steve. Dr.
[1:12:47]
Steve. Yep.
[1:12:48]
» Sorry. Father Steve, Father Steve,
[1:12:50]
Father Steve Dublinsky,
[1:12:52]
» And uh you know, Dr. Herb Hill. Um
[1:12:56]
» Let's see, there's a lot of people, but
[1:12:58]
I think it's really really important to
[1:13:00]
mention um the person who started this
[1:13:05]
going was uh Pat O'Neal. Um and I always
[1:13:11]
feel it's important to give credit where
[1:13:13]
where credit's due. And um also
[1:13:16]
Christine Zacharias. Um, there are so
[1:13:19]
many different people that I don't have
[1:13:21]
the list in front of me that are
[1:13:24]
involved. Beth Beth Retti, you know,
[1:13:28]
» Mary Beth,
[1:13:29]
» Mary Beth Revetti, um, who helped to get
[1:13:32]
a warming center here in this council,
[1:13:36]
you know, in this city hall in the
[1:13:38]
basement and who helped to start this
[1:13:42]
along with Catholic Charities.
[1:13:44]
It's It's taken
[1:13:47]
not a village, an entire city to do
[1:13:51]
this, but we're finally there. So, uh,
[1:13:54]
thank you, Housing Group. Thank you,
[1:13:56]
Catholic Charities. Thank you, Trevor.
[1:13:58]
» Any other discussion?
[1:14:00]
» Seeing none, all those in favor signify
[1:14:02]
by saying I.
[1:14:03]
» I.
[1:14:04]
» Any opposed?
[1:14:06]
Motion passes. Next up under discussion,
[1:14:09]
we have uh Ambulance rate increase. And
[1:14:12]
with that, Chief Shanharst.
[1:14:19]
» Good evening, council mayor. Thank you
[1:14:21]
for having me. Uh discussion item
[1:14:23]
tonight for your input. Uh obviously,
[1:14:26]
it's on the ambulance billing rate
[1:14:27]
increase. And uh a couple of slides to
[1:14:30]
overview it and some of it's some
[1:14:31]
educational stuff because it's just hard
[1:14:33]
to understand the insurance industry and
[1:14:35]
how it all gets build. Uh to but the end
[1:14:38]
result will be to gather input from you
[1:14:39]
and some direction so that we'll come
[1:14:41]
back. I believe uh tenatively scheduled
[1:14:43]
for the 22nd uh meeting for an action
[1:14:45]
item.
[1:14:47]
So getting into it, our last ambulance
[1:14:50]
rate increase was back in 2018
[1:14:53]
and uh since then uh depending upon
[1:14:55]
which internet source you go to but CPI
[1:14:58]
has increased by over 30% since that
[1:15:00]
time and unfortunately the cost of
[1:15:04]
providing that ambulance service the
[1:15:05]
expenses has increased at a faster rate
[1:15:09]
than that 30%. Uh, and the example
[1:15:11]
provided is back in 2019, uh, the fire
[1:15:14]
department budgeted $65,000 for
[1:15:16]
expenses, uh, just related to providing
[1:15:18]
the service that's not personnel,
[1:15:20]
equipment, or apparatus. Uh, this year
[1:15:24]
on our amended budget, we budget
[1:15:26]
$100,000. So, there's a substantial
[1:15:28]
increase in the cost of providing that
[1:15:30]
service, while the rates have stayed the
[1:15:32]
same since 2018. So, our proposal
[1:15:34]
tonight as we walk through this is our
[1:15:37]
ambulance rates. We want to increase
[1:15:38]
them, but we can't we don't think it's
[1:15:41]
prudent to jump to that full greater
[1:15:42]
than 30% in one swoop. So, we're
[1:15:46]
proposing a 10% increase over a
[1:15:48]
three-year period to help catch us up
[1:15:49]
and then uh CPI increases for the years
[1:15:51]
to follow after that.
[1:15:54]
This colorful slide, this is provided to
[1:15:57]
us by our third party ambulance billing
[1:15:59]
company, Systems Design West. And what
[1:16:01]
this covers, if you're unable to read
[1:16:02]
it, is August of 25 through July of 26.
[1:16:07]
The red columns are the charges. So
[1:16:10]
that's what we charge on every ambulance
[1:16:12]
call. Those are going to be consistent
[1:16:15]
and it's what our rates are set at. The
[1:16:17]
green column is the good column. That's
[1:16:19]
the payments and those are the the
[1:16:22]
monies that we get in from the insurance
[1:16:23]
providers, direct payments to the city,
[1:16:25]
etc. The disallowed is the blue column
[1:16:28]
and those are the funds that the
[1:16:30]
insurance companies do not allow us to
[1:16:32]
capture anymore on. Think of Medicare,
[1:16:34]
Medicaid. they have ceilings that they
[1:16:37]
will pay up to this amount. Doesn't
[1:16:38]
matter what you charge, but you're only
[1:16:40]
going to get this amount and that's it.
[1:16:41]
You have no say further. And then small
[1:16:43]
little gray cap on a lot of those blue
[1:16:45]
columns is the uncollected. And that's
[1:16:47]
due to timing. Sometimes it's coding
[1:16:50]
errors. It's um underpayments that are
[1:16:53]
made by either companies or individuals.
[1:16:56]
And so, uh that's how we look on an
[1:16:59]
annual basis. And it's a moving chart.
[1:17:01]
The chart at the bottom is the average
[1:17:02]
of all of those. There's a data set
[1:17:04]
behind it. So, we have in there 111
[1:17:07]
tickets average per month. And you'll
[1:17:08]
see that 111 later on in the
[1:17:10]
presentation, but the reason I put these
[1:17:12]
numbers up there is the percentage
[1:17:13]
columns. So, if you look at payments, we
[1:17:16]
get about 52% payments back to the city
[1:17:20]
for what we charge. We'll bill out, but
[1:17:22]
we'll only get 52% back. 34% of our
[1:17:26]
charges are disallowed. Uncollected is a
[1:17:29]
pretty good percentage of at only 2%.
[1:17:31]
And then the pending is 11. And those
[1:17:33]
are the last three months on the right
[1:17:35]
hand side of that chart because those
[1:17:36]
take time to process mailings uh
[1:17:39]
processing etc. So that's always moving
[1:17:42]
and all those figures are rounded up to
[1:17:44]
the nearest dollar.
[1:17:48]
What we're proposing is on this simple
[1:17:50]
chart here is our current rate for basic
[1:17:53]
life support transport is $900. A 10%
[1:17:58]
increase would obviously increase that
[1:17:59]
to 990 year $990 year one.
[1:18:03]
AL ALS1, ALS2, and the mileage are
[1:18:06]
seeing that same 10% increase, and that
[1:18:08]
would be the 10% year after year through
[1:18:10]
year three. ALS1 is the charge that
[1:18:15]
we're able to do for advanced life
[1:18:17]
support uh assessment as well as one
[1:18:19]
intervention. And ALS2 is just another
[1:18:22]
medical billing code for higher, more
[1:18:24]
in-depth skills, medications given uh
[1:18:28]
etc. So if we give at least three
[1:18:30]
medications, then medical billing says
[1:18:32]
you get qualify for ALS2 charges.
[1:18:35]
The mileage there, we're currently at
[1:18:37]
$17 per mile. And mileage is only what
[1:18:40]
we call loaded miles. That's where a
[1:18:42]
patient is actively being transported.
[1:18:44]
It's not to get there. It's from
[1:18:45]
wherever we find and pick the patient up
[1:18:47]
and to take them to a hospital, whether
[1:18:50]
it be Pullman, Lewon, Spokane, wherever
[1:18:52]
it might be, but it's actual miles with
[1:18:54]
the patient in the back. And so that
[1:18:57]
there uh you'll see the little line uh
[1:18:59]
underneath can't read it says regional
[1:19:01]
mileage comparisons are based on rates
[1:19:03]
that were on average last updated in
[1:19:05]
2022. So four years ago we looked at a
[1:19:08]
lot of the a majority of the ambulance
[1:19:10]
providers in Eastern Washington and the
[1:19:13]
average right now today is $17 per mile
[1:19:15]
but that was four years ago when those
[1:19:17]
that data set was compiled. So a lot of
[1:19:20]
them have been adjusted or will be
[1:19:22]
adjusted by the time we end up through
[1:19:24]
the third year of this. And I should
[1:19:26]
also note that mileage is based on the
[1:19:29]
tenth of a mile is what we charge.
[1:19:34]
So in the end at the end of year three
[1:19:36]
we'll go from BLS rate of $900 to just
[1:19:40]
under 1,200.
[1:19:42]
ALS1 is from 1050 to,400 and ALS2 you
[1:19:47]
can see that there. So it's the 10%
[1:19:49]
annually for three years approximately
[1:19:51]
33% cumulatively
[1:19:57]
financial impacts. So we reached out to
[1:20:00]
systems design west who has a lot of our
[1:20:02]
data set on what we've been doing and
[1:20:05]
they go back I should make sure to
[1:20:07]
reference my notes here because I wrote
[1:20:08]
them down for a reason. Um, there's a
[1:20:11]
service mix and what that means is that
[1:20:14]
ALS1, ALS2, BLS, how many calls do we
[1:20:18]
have that hit each of those billing
[1:20:20]
rates? And then they compare that to the
[1:20:23]
payer mix. So, how many of our payers
[1:20:26]
are Medicare, Medicaid, commercial
[1:20:29]
insurance, or private pay? And then they
[1:20:32]
compared that and said if you went back
[1:20:34]
to your 2025 actuals and applied this
[1:20:37]
10% increase for the next three years
[1:20:40]
and as you can see year one would have
[1:20:42]
estimated about a $31,000
[1:20:45]
increase if everything was a-ok okay but
[1:20:49]
unfortunately it's medical insurance and
[1:20:51]
so we can't there's no guarantees in
[1:20:53]
these figures but that's where it
[1:20:54]
roughly would have landed on what it
[1:20:56]
would mean for the city and it's not
[1:20:58]
$31,000 to say hey we got all this money
[1:21:00]
to spend. And keep in mind, we're trying
[1:21:03]
to catch up from back in 2018 for the
[1:21:05]
cost just to provide the service. And
[1:21:07]
those funds have to come from somewhere.
[1:21:09]
The ambulance service brings in about
[1:21:11]
1.2 million plus or minus in there um in
[1:21:14]
2025, which is great, but as those costs
[1:21:17]
for services, we're pulling those funds
[1:21:19]
from other areas of the general fund or
[1:21:21]
the fire department budget just to
[1:21:22]
provide that service. So, this is a
[1:21:24]
necessary uh cost recovery for us. We
[1:21:27]
don't want to leave that money sitting
[1:21:28]
on the table that the insurance
[1:21:29]
companies would be providing us
[1:21:37]
when we when I come back later in the
[1:21:40]
month. Uh in the addendum to the uh
[1:21:43]
ambulance billing is a line in here and
[1:21:45]
I didn't want to ignore it is
[1:21:46]
extrication fees that is lined out in
[1:21:49]
there that currently we charge $125 for
[1:21:52]
extrication.
[1:21:53]
I don't know when that was established
[1:21:55]
or where it was founded at. Uh but my
[1:21:59]
best guess is think of Jaws of Life,
[1:22:01]
right? Everybody kind of knows what that
[1:22:02]
means. But today's world is more
[1:22:04]
technical. We have more specialized
[1:22:06]
equipment. We have more specialized
[1:22:07]
vehicles on the road. It takes a lot
[1:22:09]
more of these components to keep the
[1:22:11]
patient safe, keep our crews safe, and
[1:22:14]
to respond efficiently. And so in
[1:22:17]
looking at that, there's a small data
[1:22:19]
set that's out there. Some a some
[1:22:21]
agencies are charging say a hourly rate
[1:22:24]
for extrication. I'm not sure how well
[1:22:27]
that works out. And some are charging
[1:22:29]
over $4,000 per call for extrication.
[1:22:32]
Since we were at 125 for a number of
[1:22:35]
years, I'm proposing a modest $500. And
[1:22:38]
that's uh when applicable, when
[1:22:40]
recoverable, it gets build back to the
[1:22:42]
automobile insurance. And uh they are
[1:22:45]
the ones who would pay that. When I was
[1:22:47]
in Wisconsin, the fire department would
[1:22:48]
send uh both if there's a two vehicle
[1:22:51]
accident, they would send both insurance
[1:22:52]
companies the same bill and make them
[1:22:55]
fight to figure out who's responsible or
[1:22:57]
who is at fault if there was that caused
[1:22:59]
determination. But that's what
[1:23:01]
automobile insurance is there for. And
[1:23:03]
so that would go to that to help recover
[1:23:05]
some of those fees because our equipment
[1:23:07]
that we've been um graced with through
[1:23:09]
CIP, it's expensive and we're still on a
[1:23:12]
three-year cycle plan to change out all
[1:23:13]
of our stuff to battery operated
[1:23:15]
hydraulic equipment and rams. Those
[1:23:17]
weren't available back in the day and
[1:23:19]
all the stress and stuff. So there's a
[1:23:20]
lot of expense to uh automobile
[1:23:22]
extrication, but I didn't want to ignore
[1:23:25]
that part too because that it will be in
[1:23:26]
the fee structure in the months to come.
[1:23:29]
So, before I get to question answer
[1:23:31]
period, the options, there's a handful
[1:23:33]
of them. Uh, you could do as staff
[1:23:34]
recommended. Um, and this is for
[1:23:36]
consideration. We're not voting on this
[1:23:37]
tonight, but the 10% annually for three
[1:23:40]
years to help catch us up and then we'll
[1:23:42]
catch up that fourth year and CPI after
[1:23:44]
that. An option would be do 15% for the
[1:23:47]
next two years and then uh CPI catch up
[1:23:49]
after that. We could do an all lump sum
[1:23:51]
starting in 2027.
[1:23:54]
And then uh there's other options. We
[1:23:56]
could ignore it. we could you could send
[1:23:58]
me back to the drawing board. Uh, but
[1:23:59]
the reason this is coming before you
[1:24:01]
tonight is Washington state rules say
[1:24:03]
that uh we have to have our rates to the
[1:24:06]
uh uh the state. I was going to say the
[1:24:09]
name, but I'd probably mess it up. So,
[1:24:10]
I'll just say we have to have the rules
[1:24:11]
to the state by November 1st so they can
[1:24:14]
go into effect on January 1st. So, it's
[1:24:17]
a little odd timing ahead of other
[1:24:19]
schedules, but that's just what the
[1:24:21]
office of insurance commissioners have
[1:24:22]
said. Uh, with that went through it
[1:24:26]
pretty quickly, but I think I hit all my
[1:24:28]
points and I'd be happy to entertain any
[1:24:31]
questions, feedback or suggestions.
[1:24:33]
» So, question. So, council member Vance,
[1:24:36]
» I had a question about the uh Medicaid
[1:24:39]
uh ceilings. Is that a percentage or a
[1:24:41]
dollar amount for those ceilings for
[1:24:43]
Medicaid? I don't know if your slide had
[1:24:45]
it, but I was just curious.
[1:24:48]
» So, state the question differently
[1:24:49]
because I bet I have the answer. I just
[1:24:50]
need to understand what you're looking
[1:24:51]
for
[1:24:52]
» When when [clears throat] billing like
[1:24:54]
Medicaid.
[1:24:55]
» Mhm.
[1:24:56]
» You mentioned that there's a ceiling to
[1:24:57]
what they'll pay. Is that a dollar
[1:24:59]
amount or a percentage of the
[1:25:02]
» The cost?
[1:25:02]
» Medicaid
[1:25:04]
specifically
[1:25:06]
um has a strict dollar amount of $16843
[1:25:10]
» That they'll pay.
[1:25:11]
» Yes.
[1:25:12]
» Okay.
[1:25:12]
» And they're the one that um any
[1:25:14]
remaining difference cannot be simply
[1:25:16]
build back to the patient. So pretty
[1:25:17]
much when once Medicaid is done with it,
[1:25:20]
it closes it off and we're not able to
[1:25:22]
uh go back after those funds.
[1:25:24]
» Gotcha. Thank you.
[1:25:25]
» All of those federally funded, the
[1:25:27]
Medicare, Medicaid, they're they're the
[1:25:28]
most restrictive. Uh and you the rate
[1:25:31]
increase won't impact revenues coming
[1:25:34]
back to the city because that's
[1:25:36]
uncontrolled. We don't get to tell them
[1:25:38]
to pay more. They they're set. Yeah. But
[1:25:40]
it's the commercial insurance that would
[1:25:41]
be paying more. Sorry to cut you off.
[1:25:42]
» No, no. You're good. uh ballpark. What
[1:25:44]
percentage of calls are build to
[1:25:46]
Medicaid?
[1:25:48]
» Medicaid represents 20% according to
[1:25:50]
systems design wise.
[1:25:51]
» Okay. Thank you,
[1:25:53]
» Council Member Wright.
[1:25:56]
» Thank you, Ryan. Nice presentation. Um
[1:26:00]
I'm just going to call it a house call.
[1:26:02]
What is the charge for a house call when
[1:26:04]
a transport doesn't necessarily result
[1:26:07]
like someone has fallen, they're not
[1:26:09]
injured, but they can't get up on their
[1:26:10]
own and they're by themselves? Does that
[1:26:13]
fall under BLS?
[1:26:15]
» Nope. Nope. So, if we don't transport,
[1:26:18]
we're not um billing.
[1:26:22]
It is a system of the rules and the
[1:26:25]
permissions that we we operate under. Uh
[1:26:27]
we will happily go anytime uh numerous
[1:26:30]
times in some cases to do a lift assist
[1:26:33]
into people's houses. Uh we will provide
[1:26:35]
treatment. Uh we do not force people to
[1:26:38]
go to the hospital. They are still in
[1:26:39]
charge of their own healthcare
[1:26:40]
decisions. And if they choose to stay at
[1:26:42]
home, we have a simple form where they
[1:26:44]
sign accepting the liability. Uh but uh
[1:26:46]
generally speaking, they're not seeing a
[1:26:49]
bill for those services.
[1:26:50]
» Great. Thank you. And thank you for that
[1:26:53]
service.
[1:26:53]
» Yeah, Council Weller.
[1:26:56]
» Thank you, Mr. Mayor. [clears throat]
[1:26:58]
First off, I dig the stash.
[1:27:01]
» Feel like it just I feel like it just
[1:27:03]
came up like yesterday. Just came up. Uh
[1:27:07]
[laughter] I do have a question
[1:27:09]
regarding I know a little bit ago well
[1:27:12]
probably eight years um we had some
[1:27:16]
challenges with um
[1:27:20]
getting people to pay you know I mean
[1:27:22]
there were a lot of bad debts that we
[1:27:24]
were having to write off. Do you know
[1:27:27]
how much um are we I know we were
[1:27:30]
improving it. Do you know if we're doing
[1:27:33]
better? Is it slipping back? Um,
[1:27:38]
» I appreciate that question because I was
[1:27:41]
looking for an opportunity all night to
[1:27:44]
ask the man
[1:27:45]
» Good minds
[1:27:46]
» Come up and answer this because he was
[1:27:48]
responsible for uh getting a majority of
[1:27:50]
this under control in the last couple of
[1:27:52]
years. Uh, we're doing very well.
[1:27:54]
» Good.
[1:27:54]
» We are doing very well. Andrew, do you
[1:27:56]
have any comments in regards to that?
[1:27:58]
» I agree. We're doing very well.
[1:28:01]
» Great minds think alike. Okay. Well,
[1:28:04]
that's really my only question. I'm more
[1:28:07]
for option three, but I know probably
[1:28:11]
two would be a better choice. So,
[1:28:14]
» Council Member FJarn,
[1:28:18]
» Uh, thank you, Chief, for the
[1:28:19]
presentation and data. uh and for the
[1:28:21]
conversation I would be um more
[1:28:23]
supporting the at the 10% but my
[1:28:26]
question which council member will kind
[1:28:28]
of touch base on it is uh does the fire
[1:28:31]
department have a um hardship or write
[1:28:36]
off policy for folks who can't play or
[1:28:38]
pay or unable to pay? Uh, that's an
[1:28:41]
excellent question and please allow me
[1:28:43]
the courtesy of shuffling through my
[1:28:46]
notes because I want to make sure I
[1:28:48]
state this accurately. Um, the city has
[1:28:52]
an approach that will actually start
[1:28:54]
with systems design west who does all of
[1:28:56]
our medical billing. Um, they have a
[1:28:59]
ability to um assist with payment plans.
[1:29:03]
uh if there is a large um payment plans
[1:29:06]
or a large amount then uh the finance
[1:29:08]
director Jeff can uh assist with
[1:29:10]
speaking with those uh individuals
[1:29:12]
directly. Um he has pre-authorization
[1:29:15]
for that but um the stance for the city
[1:29:18]
is that there is no charity, no
[1:29:20]
settlement and no negotiating pricing
[1:29:22]
options. Uh so systems design west has
[1:29:25]
full control over the billing and the
[1:29:28]
unpaid amounts um after the all of their
[1:29:32]
efforts and they they have a pretty
[1:29:34]
strong history of um giving great effort
[1:29:36]
to working with people um it will
[1:29:39]
ultimately end up in collections if
[1:29:41]
that's where it needs to go.
[1:29:44]
» Council member McDonald.
[1:29:46]
» Okay. I have a few questions. Uh the
[1:29:50]
first one is you mentioned the mileage
[1:29:53]
was pretty in line with other places in
[1:29:55]
terms of what we were charging and
[1:29:57]
likely going to continue to be that way.
[1:29:59]
You said uh extra I'm going to say that
[1:30:03]
wrong. You get pulling people out of
[1:30:05]
cars. Um is like we're like way below
[1:30:08]
the normal rate. Do you know what the
[1:30:11]
other um like just the normal the $900
[1:30:15]
ambulance rate is by comparison for
[1:30:18]
others in the region?
[1:30:20]
» Yes. Yes, I can um assist with providing
[1:30:23]
that. Let me find that chart for you. I
[1:30:25]
didn't throw it up there because it was
[1:30:26]
pretty messy um if I wanted to share it
[1:30:29]
all. And you know how sometimes the
[1:30:30]
presentations say you should only have
[1:30:33]
four words per slide presentation
[1:30:36]
etiquette, right? So our our rates right
[1:30:39]
now are um
[1:30:42]
below the average in the region and by
[1:30:45]
the end of year three on the 10% um or
[1:30:47]
even if we jump today um they would just
[1:30:49]
be slightly above that average and those
[1:30:51]
are bound to go that average is bound to
[1:30:53]
rise over the next three years as we
[1:30:55]
move through this. uh the we're situated
[1:30:59]
underneath it currently on that chart um
[1:31:02]
that I would be happy to share with you
[1:31:04]
offline uh just because I'm I don't have
[1:31:06]
it in the presentation.
[1:31:07]
» Okay. But that that's a good enough
[1:31:09]
answer,
[1:31:10]
» But I didn't skew the I didn't skew the
[1:31:12]
chart by including the Spokane AMR um
[1:31:15]
rate which is uh it takes it through the
[1:31:17]
roof. So um but our mileage the lowest
[1:31:20]
in the region is $10 per mile and the
[1:31:22]
highest is $38 per mile. So depends
[1:31:25]
pretty wide range what they've adopted.
[1:31:27]
» The the other one I wonder I two more I
[1:31:30]
think um the typical insurance coverage
[1:31:33]
for like our major insurers for the
[1:31:36]
region what do they cover like
[1:31:40]
seals or WSUs.
[1:31:43]
» So medical insurance right we each have
[1:31:46]
individual plans that we get to choose
[1:31:48]
from what's offered to us on a on an
[1:31:50]
annual basis. Uh, I'm not going to be
[1:31:52]
able to directly answer that question.
[1:31:54]
We would be able to get to that answer
[1:31:55]
if we sat down with our billing
[1:31:57]
specialists and walked through what
[1:31:58]
those options are. Uh, but that depends
[1:32:01]
on the plan that you're underneath, the
[1:32:03]
the co-pays that you've agreed to, etc.
[1:32:06]
It's all um shotgun approach almost. So,
[1:32:09]
» Like the thing I'm kind of wondering is
[1:32:11]
the like basically the equivalent of the
[1:32:14]
Medicaid's like uh we probably think it
[1:32:16]
I don't even know how they come up with.
[1:32:18]
We think it's probably worth $150 for a
[1:32:21]
like a ambulance ride, which seems
[1:32:23]
crazy, but whatever. That's beside the
[1:32:25]
point. The um or whatever number you
[1:32:28]
said. Um but like what what does another
[1:32:31]
insurance think is normal? E co-pays and
[1:32:34]
stuff aside.
[1:32:36]
» So that's I think I understand your
[1:32:38]
question better and I'll be able to
[1:32:39]
answer it from the data systems design
[1:32:40]
west because I would have no way to come
[1:32:43]
up with this stuff. I don't see that uh
[1:32:44]
what comes in what goes out. Uh they
[1:32:47]
call that commercial insurance, the
[1:32:48]
non-medicare and the non-federally
[1:32:50]
funded and non uh private pay. Uh so
[1:32:54]
average commercial charge um is uh right
[1:32:58]
around $1,100 and the average commercial
[1:33:01]
reimbursement is $995. So very close
[1:33:05]
compared to what the federal's uh
[1:33:07]
insurance rates are. So they um they pay
[1:33:10]
more. Yeah, it's crazy that we're all
[1:33:13]
paying for the Medicaid ones, you know,
[1:33:17]
but whatever. That's beside the point.
[1:33:18]
Uh the other question that I had is
[1:33:21]
obviously we would we want to recoup our
[1:33:24]
cost and I'm sure where you haven't
[1:33:26]
raised your rates since 2018. You guys
[1:33:29]
have put in a ton of work for cost
[1:33:32]
savings um over the years. Like
[1:33:35]
obviously we don't want to just be like
[1:33:36]
ah just who cares how much it costs us,
[1:33:39]
we'll just pass it on. like what what
[1:33:41]
are could you give a couple examples of
[1:33:43]
ways that you guys are trying to help
[1:33:45]
make sure that that cost isn't more than
[1:33:47]
it needs to be.
[1:33:50]
So the ambulance business is the
[1:33:52]
majority of our call volume and it takes
[1:33:55]
a it was mentioned earlier it takes this
[1:33:57]
village of dedicated professionals to
[1:33:59]
make this happen and because they're
[1:34:01]
dedicated to their craft it is because
[1:34:04]
what makes that program so successful
[1:34:06]
and so in regards to the cost savings
[1:34:09]
that's one of the areas where
[1:34:12]
I tell the gentleman who's in charge of
[1:34:15]
procuring supplies just spend it because
[1:34:19]
we have to have that if we're over in
[1:34:22]
that budget, I'll have to find someplace
[1:34:24]
else. But it's the most called upon
[1:34:26]
service that we do, it has to be readily
[1:34:29]
available 247. Those wheels have to roll
[1:34:31]
and the care needs to be given. And so
[1:34:34]
we are prudent. We do our research. We
[1:34:37]
look for grants. We are doing GMT. We're
[1:34:40]
procuring supplies from the best vendors
[1:34:43]
available. Um all the prudent necessary
[1:34:46]
measures that uh any responsible
[1:34:48]
employee should be doing. Uh but when it
[1:34:50]
comes down to it, um I'm not restricting
[1:34:53]
the purchase of
[1:34:55]
electrodes,
[1:34:57]
IV solutions. I'm telling them to supply
[1:35:00]
greater quantities so that we have them
[1:35:02]
on hand should there be a hurricane on
[1:35:04]
the east coast again and knock out the
[1:35:05]
sailing plant. Um because we know that
[1:35:08]
this community needs that regardless of
[1:35:10]
where we're at. But um we're doing
[1:35:12]
prudent measures uh all across the board
[1:35:14]
when it comes to procuring those those
[1:35:16]
items uh from various vendors and and
[1:35:19]
moving those all the time in regards to
[1:35:22]
what's the best option.
[1:35:23]
» Thank you and thank thank you for what
[1:35:25]
you do. Like I I'm on the emergency
[1:35:28]
alert like if we get a 911 at seal like
[1:35:31]
I get a slew of messages and like how
[1:35:34]
fast you guys get on site. It's crazy.
[1:35:36]
It's like really impressive. Thank you,
[1:35:39]
» Council Member Parks.
[1:35:42]
I don't know if you know the the the
[1:35:45]
volume or the percentage of of
[1:35:48]
automobile involved calls that you that
[1:35:51]
that our that your department has like
[1:35:55]
» So I did not come with that data
[1:35:56]
tonight. Uh is I would hope fairly easy
[1:36:00]
to acquire but thankfully we don't have
[1:36:02]
a lot of those anymore.
[1:36:04]
» Oh that's good.
[1:36:04]
» Not like back in the emergency days. Um,
[1:36:07]
but we I would say if I was going to be
[1:36:09]
conservative, we we do about 24 a year.
[1:36:13]
» Where um it could be any and I'm not
[1:36:15]
really counting like the vehicle versus
[1:36:17]
pedestrians in a crosswalk. It's the
[1:36:19]
cars that have overturned on icy roads
[1:36:21]
or the head-ons out on the highway or
[1:36:23]
whatever may be around town. There there
[1:36:25]
are a handful of them that require um
[1:36:28]
specialized tools and equipment and
[1:36:30]
training.
[1:36:30]
» Sure. And you you alluded to Wisconsin,
[1:36:34]
which is it sounds like an a no fault
[1:36:37]
state as Idaho is. Uh but the uh but
[1:36:41]
Washington is an at fault state. So
[1:36:44]
insurance companies will assign blame.
[1:36:46]
And I just want to put a little plug in
[1:36:48]
for people to look at their car policies
[1:36:50]
because there's a coverage an optional
[1:36:53]
coverage called personal injury
[1:36:54]
protection or PIP. That is the that is
[1:36:57]
the line item that chief was speaking
[1:37:00]
about when he said that the um the
[1:37:02]
medical portion will be paid out of an
[1:37:05]
automobile. And many people either
[1:37:09]
refuse it or they choose the lowest
[1:37:12]
which I believe is $10,000.
[1:37:15]
But it's a really really good um
[1:37:17]
coverage to have and it will cover
[1:37:19]
things that come from the ambulance
[1:37:22]
billing and things like that up to the
[1:37:24]
limit that you have chosen. So I just
[1:37:26]
wanted to put that out there.
[1:37:27]
» Thank you. So as a part of this
[1:37:29]
discussion he's kind of asking kind of
[1:37:32]
some direction from council and we've
[1:37:34]
had uh you know one at 10 one at 33. Uh,
[1:37:39]
so it'd be helpful just to kind of help
[1:37:41]
him provide guidance because he wants to
[1:37:42]
bring something back that and and not
[1:37:45]
have to rebring it back because it it's
[1:37:48]
not the right numbers. Council member
[1:37:50]
Schumis,
[1:37:50]
» Sorry, I was trying to wait for uh
[1:37:52]
questions to be done before I made a
[1:37:54]
comment. Um, I would be in favor of the
[1:37:56]
10% over 3 years because uh getting in a
[1:38:00]
car accident is the second worst day of
[1:38:02]
your life and getting the bill is the
[1:38:04]
worst day of your life and it's really
[1:38:06]
expensive. Um, and everything is getting
[1:38:08]
more expensive right now. And I just
[1:38:10]
would hate to bury people in like a I
[1:38:13]
know it goes to the insurance company,
[1:38:14]
but you know, eventually these things do
[1:38:16]
trickle down and I would hate to do that
[1:38:18]
huge jump
[1:38:19]
» Right off the bat. Thank you.
[1:38:21]
» Okay,
[1:38:23]
Council McDonald.
[1:38:23]
» So, I was tempted to go with the number
[1:38:26]
three. It's not like it's like you're
[1:38:27]
saving for a trip to Hawaii and it's
[1:38:30]
like I'm saving up for that ambulance
[1:38:32]
visit. It's like when it happens, it
[1:38:34]
happens. like um and hopefully it
[1:38:36]
doesn't happen, right? Um but I feel
[1:38:39]
like when when you shared the numbers
[1:38:41]
and they were more in line
[1:38:42]
insurance-wise with the 10% and they'll
[1:38:45]
probably adjust over time, like I would
[1:38:47]
vote for number one just because it
[1:38:49]
seems like in line with that.
[1:38:53]
» Other thoughts? I see council member
[1:38:56]
Parks with that 10% also.
[1:39:00]
I'm in favor of the 15 personally, but I
[1:39:03]
could.
[1:39:04]
» So, so we have mostly 10, uh, 111, I
[1:39:08]
mean 115, 133.
[1:39:10]
» So,
[1:39:12]
Council Mayor Waller,
[1:39:15]
» Well, I can just explain. The three was
[1:39:17]
rip the band-aid off and things are
[1:39:18]
going to get more expensive, period. And
[1:39:21]
we're already behind. Eight years, we
[1:39:24]
haven't had anything. Um uh but I said
[1:39:27]
two because okay uh middle of the road.
[1:39:32]
Um I just know that things are going to
[1:39:34]
continue being more expensive and if we
[1:39:36]
wait for three year three more years
[1:39:38]
that's 11 years since we've done a full
[1:39:43]
increase. So you know
[1:39:48]
yeah that's that's the reasoning I will
[1:39:51]
vote. I'm not gonna fight about it. You
[1:39:52]
know, it's not a something to die on the
[1:39:54]
hill for, but that was my reasoning.
[1:39:58]
[clears throat]
[1:39:58]
» Council member Fer.
[1:40:00]
» Okay.
[1:40:03]
Some people have very big hand waves and
[1:40:06]
somes with very small finger movements
[1:40:09]
at times. Um, Chief, do you feel you
[1:40:12]
have enough information?
[1:40:14]
I do. I appreciate that. I understand
[1:40:16]
that uh if we jumped immediately to 33,
[1:40:20]
it wouldn't impact all of us overnight
[1:40:22]
because we're not calling the ambulance,
[1:40:23]
but uh we wouldn't also be aware that
[1:40:26]
everything is getting more expensive and
[1:40:27]
maybe the more the gradual approach
[1:40:29]
would be more palatable. So um just was
[1:40:31]
looking for the feedback I believe I've
[1:40:33]
received to uh compile the documents for
[1:40:35]
action at the uh future council meeting.
[1:40:37]
» Okay, great. And I and I know council
[1:40:40]
members might hear some comments and
[1:40:42]
might have some thoughts that they pass
[1:40:44]
on in the next week too. So I
[1:40:47]
understand.
[1:40:48]
» Okay. Thank you very much. Appreciate
[1:40:50]
» You very much.
[1:40:50]
» Thank you.
[1:40:53]
» Uh the next discussion item we had
[1:40:55]
related to legislative priorities. Uh I
[1:40:58]
put a hard copy at your desk of uh the
[1:41:02]
latest draft that we've been working on
[1:41:04]
and I apologize that we didn't get it
[1:41:06]
into the packet. Um it's there's been a
[1:41:11]
lot going on this week and this one it
[1:41:14]
didn't get finished until yesterday. Um
[1:41:17]
but within it what we did is we put put
[1:41:20]
together that a common we're trying to
[1:41:23]
keep it to one page uh with really a a
[1:41:27]
common theme and then the four areas
[1:41:30]
that were talked about where we talk um
[1:41:34]
in a positive sense of how the state has
[1:41:37]
support us in the past or or if there's
[1:41:40]
been challenges in the past. So kind of
[1:41:42]
to frame why we're asking what we're
[1:41:45]
asking and then in bold are are the
[1:41:48]
different asks related to uh financial
[1:41:52]
sustainability, the infrastructure. Uh
[1:41:55]
and we did a mix of projects is what
[1:41:57]
staff's recommendation related to flood
[1:42:00]
control, the sewer treatment and then
[1:42:02]
also streets just because there's they
[1:42:04]
they touch different aspects of people.
[1:42:08]
uh the policing one uh related the the
[1:42:11]
public record stuff that we see going on
[1:42:13]
that's really an exploitation uh and
[1:42:15]
then those economic development border
[1:42:18]
issues that were addressed uh and we
[1:42:21]
really worked to keep it to to a page.
[1:42:25]
Obviously this is a draft for and you're
[1:42:28]
seeing it tonight. Um, but I'm
[1:42:30]
interested just in your thoughts. Are
[1:42:33]
have we captured what as a council you
[1:42:36]
are thinking relates to this? Um,
[1:42:40]
yes. No thoughts.
[1:42:43]
Coun. Okay. Uh, council member McDonald.
[1:42:48]
» Uh, one thing I would add to the I I
[1:42:50]
like it. I like it a lot. Um, one thing
[1:42:52]
I would add to the border community with
[1:42:55]
the building codes and the housing is I
[1:42:58]
think uh
[1:43:00]
maybe something about minimizing
[1:43:04]
the impact of those regulations, right?
[1:43:07]
It's like I mean the state is driving up
[1:43:11]
the cost of doing construction here.
[1:43:13]
Like like they could stop doing that.
[1:43:16]
Like
[1:43:17]
» We would we would appreciate that as one
[1:43:19]
of the things.
[1:43:20]
» Well, and and And and and
[1:43:22]
[clears throat] and I will say, you
[1:43:24]
know, I framed it in the state's past
[1:43:26]
practices have hindered, I I actually
[1:43:28]
had a much more stronger statement in
[1:43:31]
there that I kind of pulled back from.
[1:43:34]
Uh but if if it's if the stronger
[1:43:38]
statement is what is a council you want,
[1:43:40]
we can we could put a stronger statement
[1:43:42]
in there related to they're part they're
[1:43:45]
part of our problem right now.
[1:43:46]
» Yeah. I feel like the more that they can
[1:43:48]
hear the like the more they see help
[1:43:52]
with the middle housing, including the
[1:43:56]
decisions they make impact
[1:43:59]
our ability to hit middle housing. I
[1:44:01]
think just being sensitive cuz like you
[1:44:03]
talk to anybody in Washington, they're
[1:44:05]
going to be like, "Yeah, we want we want
[1:44:07]
more people to have houses. We want
[1:44:09]
houses to be affordable and we it's just
[1:44:12]
okay. Well, then just be mindful when
[1:44:14]
you make those decisions.
[1:44:15]
» When you make
[1:44:17]
Council member Weller.
[1:44:19]
» Thank you, Mr. Mayor. Just a thing right
[1:44:22]
here. Policing exploitation of our
[1:44:24]
vulnerable. Was there something else
[1:44:25]
that was supposed to be there?
[1:44:27]
» No, that
[1:44:33]
» It's of our vulnerable, but we could say
[1:44:34]
vulnerable population. So, this has to
[1:44:36]
do with uh what what we're finding is
[1:44:39]
people are doing public records requests
[1:44:42]
uh related to um women that are drunk in
[1:44:47]
order to put it out there and on paid
[1:44:50]
sites. Um, and they're also doing uh
[1:44:54]
public records requests for interviews
[1:44:56]
of minors that have that uh had sexual
[1:45:00]
issues and and so we're so I tried to
[1:45:04]
use the term vulnerable.
[1:45:06]
» Can we just put in our most vulnerable
[1:45:08]
most just in there?
[1:45:10]
» Um, and you know I I think it's
[1:45:14]
important
[1:45:16]
well two things. one with the
[1:45:17]
infrastructure it it it helps investment
[1:45:21]
in the future. So it will help with you
[1:45:23]
know economy and so on. So I think
[1:45:26]
saying something about you know
[1:45:29]
investment in the future our community
[1:45:31]
you know economy something along those
[1:45:34]
lines that often gets uh lost. I think
[1:45:37]
also what you were saying is I I think
[1:45:39]
we do need to start being a little bit
[1:45:42]
and I I appreciate what Brian was saying
[1:45:46]
um a little bit stronger
[1:45:49]
worded with the state. What they're
[1:45:52]
doing especially for Eastern Washington,
[1:45:55]
the smaller communities is just plain
[1:45:58]
hurting us. And you know there's no way
[1:46:02]
around it. and um they need to
[1:46:06]
understand and I believe our
[1:46:09]
representatives do, but others need to
[1:46:12]
understand that this is this is not
[1:46:15]
going to create a thriving economy and
[1:46:17]
it's just going to continue to upset
[1:46:19]
people. We need to have stronger
[1:46:21]
language about it.
[1:46:23]
» Okay, we'll add that in. Council member
[1:46:25]
Schumis.
[1:46:27]
Yeah, actually I 100% agree with them.
[1:46:29]
And I also just wanted to say that I
[1:46:31]
whoever did this, I was really impressed
[1:46:34]
after last time coming in and seeing it
[1:46:36]
all on one page like this. This looks
[1:46:37]
really awesome. Very visually, I think
[1:46:39]
pleasing and easy to read. So,
[1:46:41]
» It it took it took a village and a bit
[1:46:44]
of work.
[1:46:45]
» Well, it's great. Thank you,
[1:46:48]
» Council Member. Right. So, and I talked
[1:46:51]
about this um a couple of times ago when
[1:46:54]
we were just starting to put this
[1:46:56]
together regarding the border community
[1:46:58]
economic development. And I would like
[1:47:01]
to see what the level of cooperation is
[1:47:06]
between andor among the legislative
[1:47:09]
districts that have border communities.
[1:47:13]
so that we know that their our
[1:47:16]
legislators are utilizing all of the
[1:47:19]
possible leverage points that they can
[1:47:22]
and working with their partners on on
[1:47:26]
the border because you go at least from
[1:47:29]
the Canadian border down to maybe
[1:47:32]
Garfield or Colombia County, everybody
[1:47:34]
has the same issues and I'm sure Walaw
[1:47:36]
Wala does as well. And so for them to be
[1:47:40]
able to work with all of those other
[1:47:42]
legislators, I mean, it would almost be
[1:47:45]
like a, you know, a pack or a um, you
[1:47:48]
know, a legislative group that maybe has
[1:47:51]
a little more power than just one
[1:47:54]
district. Does that make sense?
[1:47:56]
» Yes. And and so that would be something
[1:47:58]
we have the uh the influences work group
[1:48:02]
that and this is I think would be a
[1:48:04]
charge that would go to them to okay how
[1:48:06]
can we start how can we work on
[1:48:09]
influences in order to accomplish our
[1:48:11]
pri our goals our priorities and our
[1:48:14]
legislative priorities.
[1:48:18]
Council Member Weller,
[1:48:20]
» I do have one more question and it's um
[1:48:23]
not trying to be critical, but I don't
[1:48:25]
see a whole lot on quality. I mean
[1:48:28]
quality of life can be in any of these
[1:48:30]
but I know um Schmick is going to ask
[1:48:34]
about mental health and I know that um
[1:48:40]
you know veterans especially um is going
[1:48:44]
to come up with a couple of them and so
[1:48:48]
[snorts]
[1:48:49]
I'm I'm wondering I I see a lot of these
[1:48:51]
things but there's you know the
[1:48:53]
infrastructure and police and that but
[1:48:55]
there's nothing on mental health
[1:48:56]
addiction veterans. These things are
[1:48:59]
kind of, you know, the the heart of what
[1:49:03]
a community is as well. And I don't see
[1:49:06]
a whole lot in there. I don't see
[1:49:07]
anything in there actually. And and from
[1:49:10]
the discussions that the council had,
[1:49:12]
we're focusing to these, but we still
[1:49:15]
have those areas like what you
[1:49:16]
described. Those will still be
[1:49:18]
conversations that happen, but these are
[1:49:21]
the the we're trying to narrow down to
[1:49:24]
what are the key critical ones here.
[1:49:27]
We'll still have those discussions of
[1:49:29]
supporting these agencies, these um
[1:49:32]
entities that are doing the doing the
[1:49:34]
work, but this these are really city
[1:49:36]
more city related in that way. So that
[1:49:39]
was as a council when we were having
[1:49:41]
this discussion that's why these were
[1:49:44]
the items that were that were selected
[1:49:46]
by the council and the and but we still
[1:49:48]
have we still have the rest of it that
[1:49:50]
are going to be talking points that
[1:49:52]
we'll still individually be talking
[1:49:54]
about.
[1:49:55]
» Okay. Um I will say that um in my mind
[1:49:59]
if it's not on this one page it
[1:50:02]
significantly
[1:50:03]
lowers the importance of those things in
[1:50:06]
the community. It does. It looks that
[1:50:08]
way. So, um, you know, I'm
[1:50:14]
and and for me, you know, I'm a bit of a
[1:50:16]
bleeding heart and the veterans mental
[1:50:19]
health, addiction, all of those are
[1:50:22]
going to be very important to me. And
[1:50:25]
so, I mean, it it just it doesn't look
[1:50:29]
good. So, so Council Member Schumis,
[1:50:33]
» I just was going to say that I remember
[1:50:35]
this conversation and um I had
[1:50:39]
uh made the statement that I believed
[1:50:41]
that helping people find jobs and that
[1:50:44]
sort of stuff, making sure that we had a
[1:50:46]
strong economy was driving mental
[1:50:49]
health. So, I very much see that in the
[1:50:52]
border community economic development.
[1:50:54]
It may not be there, but the ability to
[1:50:56]
help people find a job and get housing
[1:50:59]
is kind of in that like strengthening
[1:51:01]
our economy.
[1:51:04]
» I wholeheartedly disagree. Um, you know,
[1:51:08]
finding a job is a, you know, part of
[1:51:12]
all of that. But some people it's, you
[1:51:15]
know, either they can't get a job or um
[1:51:21]
it's too difficult. It's not.
[1:51:25]
And no, nobody really thinks about
[1:51:27]
mental health and oh, getting a job
[1:51:29]
that'll fix mental health. That's just
[1:51:32]
it. I I'm just letting you know
[1:51:36]
personally not okay with this. I'm okay
[1:51:39]
with the stuff that's been said on there
[1:51:41]
with this but not having something
[1:51:44]
regarding those topics which quite
[1:51:48]
frankly Mary Dy has been very
[1:51:52]
instrumental in veterans
[1:51:55]
and Schmick has been very instrumental
[1:51:58]
in mental health. Those are going to
[1:52:02]
kind of for them in my opinion is going
[1:52:05]
to be like well so you're not focusing
[1:52:07]
on those
[1:52:09]
even if it's in a additional one page.
[1:52:13]
» Could we shrink the font and add
[1:52:17]
just an overall healthare
[1:52:20]
» We we we could reference healthcare at
[1:52:22]
the top as a part of it as opposed
[1:52:25]
because these are specific asks that
[1:52:27]
we're asking for. So, if we do the
[1:52:29]
mental health, it would need to be a
[1:52:31]
specific ask that that we're trying
[1:52:34]
because this is we're trying to get down
[1:52:36]
to not just an issue, but specific asks
[1:52:40]
within the issue. Council member
[1:52:42]
McDonald,
[1:52:43]
» Just an idea, but I mean, I I kind of
[1:52:46]
hear both sides of this. I feel like
[1:52:47]
Washington as a whole like is more
[1:52:50]
sensitive to some of those particular
[1:52:52]
things uh than some of the others that
[1:52:55]
we're calling out. And so it's like a
[1:52:56]
okay there's probably already some
[1:52:58]
priority there. I almost wonder could
[1:53:00]
you put something at the very bottom
[1:53:01]
that almost calls out a couple of those
[1:53:04]
things that you that Nathan already
[1:53:06]
mentioned and say that we continue to
[1:53:08]
care about and and that's still a
[1:53:11]
priority for mental health, right? And
[1:53:13]
then that gives them a shout out and
[1:53:15]
it's like it it's not like we don't care
[1:53:17]
about it anymore. I just I I agree with
[1:53:21]
what Brian's saying, a continuing to
[1:53:23]
support, mental health, veterans, you
[1:53:26]
know, addiction support, so on and so
[1:53:29]
forth, because it does give them, you
[1:53:31]
know, it's it's part image
[1:53:34]
» Being able to show them that yes, in
[1:53:36]
fact, this matters and also it's part,
[1:53:39]
you know, yes, I know we want to work on
[1:53:41]
other projects.
[1:53:43]
um but making something you know some
[1:53:47]
mention so I appre
[1:53:49]
» I I can work on that but council member
[1:53:52]
parks
[1:53:52]
» Two things point of clarification um if
[1:53:56]
if council member zumalis doesn't mind I
[1:53:58]
think when she mentioned jobs she
[1:54:01]
mentioned it in the context of not not
[1:54:04]
people who may not be able to get jobs
[1:54:06]
to get jobs but when you have more
[1:54:08]
economic development you have more jobs
[1:54:11]
which enriches our community and and
[1:54:14]
empowers our the nonprofit organizations
[1:54:17]
who help in with mental health and and
[1:54:20]
veterans. So, I I I don't believe she
[1:54:23]
was, if I'm correct, saying that let's
[1:54:26]
have the the vulnerable, you know, get
[1:54:29]
out and get jobs. So, I just want to say
[1:54:31]
that. And then I did like council member
[1:54:33]
Wright and um Brian's you know just
[1:54:36]
maybe I would put at the top sort of
[1:54:39]
after that paragraph like council member
[1:54:41]
Wright said and just put a little we
[1:54:42]
could put a heading and then just like a
[1:54:44]
like a mission statement because with
[1:54:47]
mental health and veterans and those
[1:54:48]
sorts of things domestic violence um
[1:54:52]
there is no one thing right now that
[1:54:55]
needs to be done. It just but we do want
[1:54:58]
to keep it top of mind.
[1:54:59]
» Keep it top of mind.
[1:55:00]
» Does that make sense? Okay.
[1:55:02]
» Okay.
[1:55:02]
» Appreciate that.
[1:55:04]
» Appreciate what you said,
[1:55:05]
» Council Member Wright. maybe even to say
[1:55:07]
it in the context of um our continuing
[1:55:10]
partnership with Pullman Regional
[1:55:13]
Hospital and their work in these areas
[1:55:17]
because I know they are very focused on
[1:55:20]
um behavioral health and you know I mean
[1:55:24]
just just in the addition to the the
[1:55:27]
hospital and the emergency room they've
[1:55:29]
got a dedic they're putting in a
[1:55:30]
dedicated observation room that would
[1:55:34]
support those mental health emergencies
[1:55:36]
and so I think something without saying
[1:55:39]
all the words but putting it in line
[1:55:42]
with what the hospital is doing that we
[1:55:45]
fully support that
[1:55:46]
» We'll want to keep it broad and and I I'
[1:55:48]
I'd be careful as calling one entity out
[1:55:50]
and forgetting some other so we have to
[1:55:52]
we think in broad sense how do we how do
[1:55:54]
we say it in a broad sense where
[1:55:56]
everybody's going to feel included in it
[1:55:58]
as opposed to well why'd you call that
[1:56:00]
entity but not this other entity
[1:56:03]
council Vance
[1:56:05]
Thank you. I was just going to throw my
[1:56:07]
support behind the expansion at the
[1:56:09]
bottom that Council Member McDonald and
[1:56:11]
and Weller were mentioning.
[1:56:14]
» Okay. Any other input on this, Council
[1:56:18]
Member Weller?
[1:56:19]
» Yeah, I just wanted to mention Yeah, I I
[1:56:22]
agree with what you were saying that not
[1:56:24]
to mention just one entity. I do think
[1:56:27]
it is important to make sure to say
[1:56:30]
those things,
[1:56:31]
you know, those the mental health, the
[1:56:34]
veterans, the addiction, those things.
[1:56:36]
It's very important to be able to call
[1:56:38]
them out. It's a part of destigmatizing
[1:56:41]
these topics and not hiding them behind.
[1:56:46]
Well, we're working on health through
[1:56:47]
other it's it's the destigmatizing
[1:56:50]
that's very important.
[1:56:56]
Okay,
[1:56:58]
looks we got that. Um, with that, we
[1:57:02]
don't have any new business to come
[1:57:04]
before us. Uh, so at this time, we're
[1:57:06]
the city council is going to adjourn to
[1:57:08]
executive session,
[1:57:09]
» Of course. uh pursuant to RCW4231101
[1:57:14]
I to discuss with legal council
[1:57:16]
representing the city matters related to
[1:57:18]
agency enforcement actions or discuss
[1:57:20]
with legal counsel representing the
[1:57:22]
agency potential litigation concerning
[1:57:24]
litigation or legal risks of a potential
[1:57:27]
action or current practice the agency
[1:57:30]
has identified when public discussion of
[1:57:32]
the litigation or legal risk is likely
[1:57:34]
to result in an adverse legal or
[1:57:36]
financial consequence to the agency. The
[1:57:38]
executive session uh is expected to last
[1:57:41]
20 minutes. If it becomes necessary to
[1:57:43]
extend the executive session, someone
[1:57:45]
will return to announce the anticipate
[1:57:47]
additional time needed by council. The
[1:57:49]
council
[1:57:51]
does not does not anticipate taking
[1:57:55]
action following the executive session.
[1:57:57]
Uh it's 7:24.
[1:57:59]
Uh it's actually 7:25. So we'll start at
[1:58:02]
7:27.
[1:58:34]
» [music]
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[music]
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[music]
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[music]
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[music]
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[music]
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[music]
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[music]
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» Hey,
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hey, hey.
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Hey.
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Hey. Hey.
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[music]
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» [music]
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[music]
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[snorts]
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[music]
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[music]
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[music]
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» Hey.
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[music]
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» [music]
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» Hey,
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[music]
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hey, hey.
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» [music]
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[music]
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[music]
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[music]
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» Heat.
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Heat.
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» [snorts]
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» Hey,
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hey, hey.
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» [music]
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» Hey,
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hey, hey.
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» [music]
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[music]
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[music]
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[music]
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[music]
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» Hey.
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Hey. Hey.
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» [snorts]
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[music]
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[music]
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» Hey,
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hey, hey.
[2:11:57]
» [music]
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[music]
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[music]
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[music]
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» Hey, hey, hey.
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» [snorts]
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» Hey.
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Hey. Hey.
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Heat.
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[snorts]
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[snorts]
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Heat.
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Hey. Hey. Hey.
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» [snorts]
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» Hey.
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[music]
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» [snorts]
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» Hey.
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» [music]
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[music]
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» Heat. Heat.
[2:18:45]
» [music]
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[music]
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[music]
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» Hello.
[2:19:48]
[music]
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Hey. Hey.
[2:19:59]
» [music]
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[music]
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[music]
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[music]
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» Hey, It's 7:48. We're extending the
[2:21:00]
executive session by 10 minutes. Sorry,
[2:21:02]
it's 7:47. Extending by 10 minutes.
[2:21:11]
[music]
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Hey. Hey. Hey.
[2:22:25]
[music]
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[music]
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Heat.
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Hey, Heat.
[2:23:16]
» [music]
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[music]
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» Hey,
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hey,
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hey.
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» [snorts]
[2:25:56]
» Baby.
[2:26:13]
Hey.
[2:26:25]
Hey. Hey. Hey.
[2:26:59]
» [music]
[2:27:09]
» Hey,
[2:27:12]
hey, hey.
[2:27:21]
» [music]
[2:27:27]
[music]
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[music]
[2:27:35]
» Hey.
[2:28:08]
» [music]
[2:28:20]
[music]
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[music]
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[music]
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[music]
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[music]
[2:29:04]
[music]
[2:29:29]
» Hey,
[2:29:32]
[music]
[2:29:38]
hey, hey.
[2:30:03]
Hey burn.
[2:30:58]
It's 7:57. We're extending the executive
[2:31:00]
session for 5 minutes.
[2:31:06]
Hey. Hey. Hey.
[2:31:31]
[music]
[2:31:49]
» [music]
[2:32:05]
[music]
[2:32:19]
[music]
[2:32:30]
» Hey. [music]
[2:32:38]
[music]
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Hey.
[2:32:48]
» [music]
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[music]
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[music]
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[music]
[2:33:29]
» Hey,
[2:33:38]
hey, hey.
[2:33:43]
» [music]
[2:34:09]
» Hey,
[2:34:26]
hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey,
[2:34:26]
hey, hey, hey.
[2:35:20]
feeling
[2:35:23]
free.
[2:35:43]
» [music]
[2:35:49]
[music]
[2:36:00]
» It it is 8:02. I'm uh calling the
[2:36:03]
meeting back to order. And with that,
[2:36:04]
I'd entertain a motion.
[2:36:05]
» Motion to adjurnn.
[2:36:06]
» Second.
[2:36:07]
» All those in favor signify by saying I.
[2:36:09]
» I.
[2:36:10]
» Any opposed? We are adjourned. Thank
[2:36:12]
you.
[2:36:13]
803. Three.