[0:50] conference will now be recorded. >> Good evening. Evening everybody. Welcome

[0:55] to this regular meeting of the city of Vader City Council. It is February 18th,

[1:00] 2026 and the time is 6 p.m. Roll call.

[1:04] » Mayor Shai >> here.

[1:06] » John Hurt >> here.

[1:09] » Jason Dailyaly. >> Uh Jason asked to be excused.

[1:14] » Nicole Hansen >> present.

[1:16] » Mike Parsons.

[1:20] That dudoo was him dropping off.

[1:28] He was here. Pause.

[1:33] Wait.

[2:03] Still waiting for Mike Parsons to rejoin the meeting.

[2:11] » It's like the worst stress. a fan

[2:41] clock.

[3:35] Still waiting for Mrs. Parson to rejoin the meeting.

[3:48] How are you? >> We're being recorded.

[3:54] » That's okay.

[4:17] for a quick second. >> I want to

[4:19] » I want you to build a meeting kind of

[4:24] » sort of better.

[4:52] Good suggestion.

[4:55] » Hey, I wasn't gonna

[4:59] put a time limit on this. If he doesn't rejoin it in three minutes, then we

[5:03] don't have a point. >> Yes, sir.

[5:06] I mean, you obviously tried and it seems like, you know, maybe there's technical

[5:09] difficulties. So,

[5:23] » I ordered a case off

[5:29] and it's root there, too. Uh,

[5:33] » can you repeat that, Mr. Parsons? I'm here.

[5:42] » M. Parsons is present. >> Uh,

[5:46] » please continue. >> Michael Ferguson.

[5:48] » Uh, Mr. Ferguson um has resigned his position as city council member. He has

[5:56] time constraints and he's no longer able to perform his duties. He did send an

[6:00] official letter of resignation. you have that vacancy open.

[6:07] We have a we have a forum for now. Pledge of allegiance.

[6:14] I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America and to the

[6:18] republic for which it stands, one nation under God, indivisible, with liberty and

[6:23] justice for all. >> Mayor's report. Uh wastewater treatment

[6:28] plant outfall and diffuser project. Uh we have a preliminary funding package

[6:32] from Department of Ecology. Uh they're offering us $848,000 in grant and a

[6:37] $592,000 loan. We are working with um a couple different sources to try to um

[6:45] also get our the loan portion covered. So working on that. Uh also for the

[6:51] wastewater treatment plant outfall and diffuser project, uh engineering holes

[6:56] for testing were excavated today. Correct, Dan?

[6:59] » Yes, sir. yesterday uh near Park Road this week for that project. Um any

[7:04] roadblocks, Darren, to to that? Nope. They dug holes and the holes were dug.

[7:10] Um progress is being made there. Uh Mcmurphy Park cultural resources survey.

[7:16] Um the consultants were on site or they were planning on being on site this week

[7:21] um to do some more testing that um RCO had wanted. So that is on the being

[7:28] worked on and also as I um mentioned earlier Mr. Ferguson um did resign his

[7:34] position as a council member and so the procedure for that would be to

[7:40] eventually have a council will uh appoint somebody in the future. We have

[7:46] 90 days so the future is not too long. Um I want to thank Mr. Ferguson for his

[7:50] years of service. He is still planning on volunteering in a variety of

[7:53] capacities in the city. Uh just not on the council.

[7:58] Um council reports. Are there any members of the council that have any

[8:01] reports tonight?

[8:07] Hearing none. Agenda approval. I do have one um item to add onto the agenda as

[8:12] number four. Um regarding parks board membership.

[8:17] Do I have a motion for agenda approval with that addition?

[8:21] » Yes. to make a motion for agenda approval for February 18th, 2026 with

[8:25] the amendment. >> We have a motion by Miss Hansen to

[8:28] approve the agenda with the stated addition. Do we have a second?

[8:33] » Second. >> Seconded, Joe.

[8:35] » All right. Second, Mr. Parsons. Any discussion?

[8:42] Hearing none. All those in favor of agenda approval say I.

[8:45] » I. >> I.

[8:48] » I. >> Any opposed? Motion carries. Minutes

[8:52] approval. >> I make a motion that we approve the

[8:55] minutes from the city council meeting on February 4th, 2026. We have a motion,

[8:59] Miss Hansen, to approve the minutes for February 4th. We have a second.

[9:04] » Second. >> Second, Mr. Parsons. Any discussion?

[9:10] Hearing none. All those in favor say I. >> I.

[9:16] » I. Any opposed? Motion carries. Oh, I'm

[9:21] sorry. Did you say I thought I did, but maybe not.

[9:24] » You meant to say. >> I did mean to say I. You

[9:26] » made the motion. So, that would have been very odd.

[9:29] » Uh, once you make the motion, isn't that >> voucher approval?

[9:35] » Uh, I make a motion that we approve the amended end of January 2026 vouchers for

[9:39] $42,140.64

[9:43] February at the same time. Yep. and the end of February for 2026 at 11,610.72.

[9:49] » A motion from Miss Hansen to approve the vouchers as stated. Is there a second?

[9:55] » Second. >> Second, Mr.

[10:00] » I think Mr. Parsons is just a little quick

[10:03] is is uh a little quicker on the reception than Mr. Herd is

[10:08] » for January. What's your say? Um, any other discussion regarding the vouchers?

[10:14] » Just a moment. >> Just a moment.

[10:18] » I thought you said 42,000. >> Oh, I said 52.

[10:22] » You said 42. >> I did.

[10:24] » Sorry. You said 42. >> Okay. So, I misspoke since it's recorded

[10:29] and apparently I said 42 instead of 52. So, I need to restart.

[10:33] » Just rescend your motion and then restate it.

[10:35] » I resend my motion because I can't read. So, I apologize to everyone. I will make

[10:39] a motion that we approve the amended end of January 2026 voucher for $52,14064

[10:49] and the end of February 2026 for 11,610.72.

[10:55] » Miss Hansen has made a follow-up motion with the revised um voucher amounts. Is

[11:02] there a second?

[11:06] » I'll second it. >> Second, Mr. heard. Any discussion?

[11:12] All those in favor say I. >> I.

[11:17] » I. >> I.

[11:19] » Any opposed? Motion carries. Special reports. We don't have any tonight.

[11:23] Public comment regarding agenda items only. Is there any are there any members

[11:27] of the public regard having comment on agenda items?

[11:34] Okay. Uh moving on to city business. Item number one. council to review the

[11:39] discover Lewis County brochure template. Sansson, did you have

[11:44] » Yeah. So, we um added an about section that I hope everyone has had a chance to

[11:49] read and all of the individual sections, but mostly remain the same as they were

[11:54] the last time. We're basically asking council to approve this language for the

[12:00] moment because it's going to be sent to Discover Lewis County. They're going to

[12:05] create a brochure template for us to look at so that we can actually review

[12:10] the final template and approve what do we want to say like a visual copy of it.

[12:14] So we'll have a a second chance to look at the language with pictures and

[12:18] brochure. So this is our request to approve the language. Is there anything

[12:22] I missed from the city staff? No. Okay. >> Yeah, we looked at this I know last week

[12:27] we were looking at this and it looks very good.

[12:30] » Okay. So, can I make a motion to approve it?

[12:34] Even though I've helped draft it, I think that's appropriate.

[12:37] » We can make a motion or we can wait to see

[12:39] » we can wait till see the final product and have it then. As long as the rest of

[12:42] the council members are um are okay with this, we can uh get it off to Discover

[12:47] Lewis County. >> Yeah, I would love that. Send it to

[12:50] Discover Lewis County and then we'll approve it when we see the visual. Does

[12:53] that work for everyone?

[12:58] » Uh Mr. Parsons, Mr. hurt. Um, were you comfortable with the language so far and

[13:05] we can send this off for a draft brochure?

[13:08] » Yeah. >> Yep. Mr. Herd.

[13:12] » Yes. >> All right. Excellent. We'll get it off

[13:14] to uh Discover those counties so they can get us a draft for your review. All

[13:19] right. U moving to item number two. U council to consider Southwest Lewis

[13:24] County Chamber of Commerce 2026 membership. The annual membership amount

[13:28] is $105. So, what we're looking for is a motion to approve that membership. Um,

[13:32] the Southwest County Chamber of Commerce has been doing a number of things for

[13:37] cities. We've been we've been a member for a little while now. Um, one of the

[13:40] things they do on their website is create promotional material for cities

[13:44] and for um um businesses within the city. So, I would recommend um approving

[13:49] this $105 um expenditure for the year.

[13:56] I'll make a motion that we approve the $105 expenditure for the chamber. We

[14:00] » have a motion of Mr. Parsons to approve the expense. Do we have a second?

[14:04] » Second. >> Second, Miss Hansen. Any discussion?

[14:10] » All those in favor say I. >> I.

[14:12] » I. >> I.

[14:15] » Any oppose? Motion carries. Thank you. Uh, item number three, council to

[14:19] consider ordinance 02 20226 amending city code to allow golf carts and WATVs.

[14:25] I do not have anything else to add on this at this time. Um, I just didn't

[14:29] want it to get lost and I wanted to make sure it was on the agenda. Um, do any

[14:32] council members have anything to add on this at this time?

[14:37] » I'm just curious, did it change from the last time we looked at this to the this

[14:41] time? I feel like there's a lot of conversation around this that maybe

[14:44] needs to happen when everyone's in the room.

[14:46] » Yeah, definitely. It would definitely be added on at a later time. Okay.

[14:49] » Um I know we were looking for some guidance from the attorney and uh we we

[14:54] don't have that yet. >> Okay.

[14:55] » Um so >> thank you for keeping it on the agenda.

[14:58] » I just didn't want it to get lost because I know it's important.

[15:00] » Awesome. >> Is that all you had to say tonight on

[15:03] it? >> Anyone else? I just given everyone time

[15:07] to >> since they're fair enough. Um any uh

[15:10] Mike or John, did either one of you have any additions to um the discussion on

[15:15] the ATVs and golf carts at this time? >> I think we just move it into the black

[15:20] hole, >> Mr. Spend any more money on it.

[15:26] » Yeah, I think it's it's all good on my part, Joe.

[15:30] » Okay. All right. Well, then we'll just table this for now, then. Um Okay. Uh

[15:36] last item of city business. Uh the part regarding parks board membership. Um I

[15:43] have a a prepared letter that I will read. Um city council, I'm writing to

[15:48] formally recommend the removal of Jeremy Men from the city parks board. Uh while

[15:53] I appreciate any sitting citizens willingness to serve, a member's

[15:57] effectiveness is predicated on their ability to collaborate with city staff

[16:01] and other board members. Jeremy Mowen has been an outstanding volunteer and

[16:05] has done amazing things for this city and the parks over her many years of

[16:08] service. I want to personally thank her for that service and thank her for a

[16:12] willingness to continue volunteering with the city in future endeavors.

[16:16] Um I need a a motion from the council um to support my recommendation for

[16:23] removal.

[16:27] » I'll make a motion that we support that. >> We have a motion by Mr. Parsons just

[16:31] support my recommendation for removal. Do we have a second?

[16:35] » Second. >> Second by Miss Hansen. Um, any other

[16:38] discussion on this?

[16:43] » All those in favor say I. >> I.

[16:48] » I. >> Any opposed? Motion carries. Um, so at

[16:53] this time there is a vacancy on the parks board. Um so again um we will be

[16:58] accepting applications.

[17:02] That um is the end of our city business. Is are there is there any other public

[17:06] comment tonight?

[17:11] » All right. Any elected official comments?

[17:17] » Um yes come. You can stand here or one of closer one of the mics. said your

[17:22] name and >> my name is Sheringle and I would love to

[17:26] know what we can do about the extraordinary amount of cat and dog

[17:32] feces all over city property uh private property. It's horrible. I can't walk

[17:41] and walk my dogs on the streets without having to step over animal

[17:48] experts. So, I know there I looked up this code enforcement. You're supposed

[17:53] to pick it up. That's part of the code. I have it. Um,

[17:59] so what can we do? Adding either adding more bag stations.

[18:05] Um, I would love, you know, the little park would be great if there's one there

[18:09] because that's where a lot of it is, but it's all over. So, I would love I put a

[18:15] comment on our post on Facebook and I got a lot of hate. love. So, um,

[18:21] » it's passionate discussion. >> Apparently, it is. But, um, yeah, I

[18:26] mean, I'm willing I will put a bag station at my house. I don't care. I'm

[18:30] right on main street. But, >> so I first of all, thank you for

[18:35] bringing this to our attention because I agree with you. I've noticed the same

[18:37] thing when I walk my dog. My question for you though is, do you think it's

[18:40] really dog owners who are not picking up after their dogs? Because so far, I

[18:45] haven't seen dog owners not picking up after their dogs. I have seen dogs

[18:49] running around on their own >> which then

[18:52] » caught a dog on a camera without a leash.

[18:55] » Oh, okay. Interesting. So, in my part of town, I see dogs periodically running

[18:59] around on their own doing their own thing, which I think is the problem in

[19:01] my area and you're dealing with problem in your area owner.

[19:05] » Yes. Yes. And I've seen them walking their dogs and stopping and then they

[19:09] just keep walking after they've stopped for three or four minutes. and I've got

[19:14] a bunch of poop um between my fence and the sidewalk and I'm on a main drag of

[19:20] walking. >> I know. On the agenda for parks court

[19:23] next week, >> only about 500 ft apart.

[19:26] » Oh, >> on the agenda for parks board next week,

[19:28] I know they're going to be discussing um some possible

[19:35] solutions for at least the park properties. I mean, it's absolutely

[19:38] horrendous on a street and we're going to try and put a coffee shop and bring

[19:43] people downtown and it's horrible. I walked the dogs the

[19:49] last couple weeks or a couple days when it was sunny and never seen so much cat

[19:53] food on a beautifully done sidewalk. >> When I was over doing the inspection at

[20:01] the shop last week, there was a lot of feces on the sidewalk.

[20:04] » It's horrible. >> All right. Well, I can't wait to put

[20:07] this on the agenda >> for future council reference.

[20:13] » Thanks. >> Okay.

[20:15] » Follow up. All right. Well, if there's no other any other public comment,

[20:20] » I just want to thank the sheriff's office. I woke up to a car racing down

[20:24] the highway the other day and I thought, gosh, where's the sheriff when you need

[20:27] him? And the next thing I saw was flashing lights through my windshield or

[20:30] through my windows in my bedroom. So, I just want to say, thank you for your

[20:34] team for being there. It was amazing. Right time, right place at the right

[20:37] time. >> It was excellent.

[20:38] » Good work, guys. >> Any other council member comments

[20:42] tonight?

[20:47] » Okay. Uh, this meeting's adjourned at 6:28.

[20:50] » Oh, Mr. Hurt. >> I'm just going to let you know it's

[20:54] snowing up there in the squali.

[20:59] » Very good.

[21:03] » All right. Uh, safe drive everybody and this meeting's adjourned at 6:28

Vader City Council Meeting: 2026-02-18

Transcript