City Council - Regular Meeting

Thank you.

Good evening, everyone. Welcome to the Kent City Council meeting for September 1st, 2026. If you could all please rise and join me in the flag salute.

I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America and to the republic for which it stands, one nation under God, indivisible,

All right, Melissa, could you please call the roll?

Mayor Ralph.

I am here.

Council President Kaur.

Here.

Council Member Boyce.

Here.

Council Member Boyd. Council Member Larmer. Here. Council Member Michaud.

Here.

Council Member Shoker.

Here.

And Council Member Troutner.

Here. Thank you. All right, thank you. Item number three, are there any changes to the agenda?

No changes from staff, Your Honor.

All right. Seeing none, a motion would be in order to approve the agenda as published. So moved.

Second.

A motion and a second. All those in favor, please say aye.

Aye.

Opposed? Motion carries 6-0. All right, that brings us into item number four, public communications. We have several items this evening. We're gonna start out with employee of the month. Every month here at the city, our employees get together and they nominate one of their coworkers for the honor of employee of the month. Our employees of the month generally exhibit all of the mission, vision, values, and goals that we have here at the city. often up on the screen. And it's not just in a special project, but in just the day to day of how they show up and how they do their job and how they serve the public here in Kent. This month is definitely no exception to that. I would like to announce that our September Employee of the Month is Molly Bartlemay. Molly was first hired by the City August 20, 2007 as Administrative Secretary One in the Economic and Community Development Department. On November 16, 2012, she was hired as a Customer Service Representative for the Finance Department and was promoted on June 16, 2015 to the position of financial analyst. She was promoted again on May 16th, 2020 to her current position as customer service manager. Molly plans, organizes, and manages the day-to-day operations of our customer service division. So that is where you call and pay your utility bills and things like that so definitely an amazing service here to the city molly was nominated because she exemplifies exemplifies the city's values in everything that she does she is a strong leader within the finance department and holds her team accountable while creating a positive and fun work environment molly truly cares about the city her staff peers and residents She is a manager that is fair, kind, and organized and always level-headed and can always be counted on to do the right thing. Molly adheres to all of our values by providing customers with an explanation of the why and having empathy for their situation. She does what she can to minimize the impact on them while still doing what is right. She cares so much about the people she works with and takes the time to get to know each one of them. Molly encourages them, provides them with opportunities to learn and grow, and celebrates them whether it's their birthday, anniversary, a professional or personal success. Molly invests time in her team to help each of them be successful. She has a great communication style and in her role she has conversations with members of our community who are frustrated, angry, and are facing hardship impacting their ability to pay their utility bills. Molly conducts those conversations with empathy and compassion while being firm about adhering to the city code and policy or other regulatory guidance. She has been serving in the role as customer service manager. Since she's been serving in this role, there have only been a couple of calls that have been escalated to the finance director for handling. That is a huge success rate. She proves on a regular basis she can handle those calls in a professional manner and does a wonderful job knowing that information needs to be communicated Knowing when information needs to be communicated to the finance director or administration, she keeps individuals informed regularly on matters that may make it to them or have an impact on their job. And I can say when I know when I get an email or a phone call and hand it off to Molly, I know it's going to be handled, handled with care and compassion and professionalism. So. With that, I'm back there. I'm smiling at the back because Molly is in the room. Just want to say congratulations, Molly, on being our September Employee of the Month. Absolutely exemplifies what it means to provide amazing customer service to our community. So thank you. Right we are going to move on we have two proclamations this evening and the first proclamation is for diaper needs awareness week and Jack Edgerton the executive director of kid vantage is here with us this evening. So I'm gonna go ahead and read the proclamation and Asked I'm looking do I see? Maybe is is Jack here? I don't see I'm gonna go ahead and read the proclamation and if he makes it then we'll go ahead and Present it and then we'll move on to the next one So the proclamation says, whereas diaper need, which is the inability to afford a sufficient supply of clean diapers, can adversely affect the health, well-being, and economic stability of babies, toddlers, and their families. And whereas nearly one in every two families struggle with diaper need, with many parents forced to delay diaper changes or go without an adequate supply. And whereas a consistent supply of diapers is often required for children to participate in child care and early learning programs, whilst insufficient diapers can prevent parents from working or attending school. And whereas diaper needs can contribute to infections and other health problems, increase medical costs, and create significant challenges for families already facing economic hardship. And whereas community-based organizations and diaper banks play a critical role in providing diapers to families, promoting children's health, and strengthening families' economic stability. And whereas the people of Kent recognize diaper need as a public health and economic issue and support efforts to ensure all children and families have access to the basic necessities they need to thrive, now therefore I, Dana Ralph, Mayor of Kent, do hereby proclaim September 14th through 20th, 2026, to be National Diaper Need Awareness Week in Kent, Washington, and encourage residents of Kent to support diaper banks, diaper drives, and organizations that collect and distribute diapers to families in need. Just in time.

That was perfect.

Let's come up and we'll do a photo, and then I'll have you say a few words.

Great. Thank you, Mayor. I got caught behind a train.

That's a big talk.

Good evening, everybody. I'm Jack Edgerton. I'm the executive director of KidVantage. It is an honor to be with you all today to talk about diaper need in our community. There are many needs that families face, and diaper need is one of the most critical. A recent study by the National Diaper Bank Network shows that over 40% of families lack the resources to provide an adequate supply of diapers for their infants. Not only does this cause significant emotional stress on caregivers, it also has an economic impact. When a child cannot be dropped off at daycare or preschool due to inadequate diapering, their parents may miss school or work, which adversely affects their ability to purchase food or to pay rent. So far in 2026, KidVantage has provided almost 1.1 million diapers in the community, well on its way to over 2 million diapers for this year. In Kent, just the first six months of this year, we distributed over 26,000 orders for families with a value of over $650,000. We did this through our network of over 20 local Kent providing agencies. So far this year, our service has gone up 9% in the city of Kent year over year. Community need for diapers and other baby essentials is continuing to increase. It's not just diapers, it's baby food, it's formula, it's hygiene, it's school supplies, it's clothing items. All the things children need to participate fully in school and in life. Thank you for discussing this critical issue tonight by recognizing diaper need in our community. All of us at KidVantage look forward to continuing to work with the City of Kent and all of our community partners to ensure that kids have what they need to be healthy, safe, and to thrive. Thank you.

Jack, thank you so much for the work that you do in supporting our families. I think if you're not in that phase in life where you're realizing how many Diapers, babies go through, and toddlers, it's a lot. And recognizing how expensive they have gotten, the need is great, and we are very grateful for all of the work that's being done. So thank you.

Well, thank you so much. We appreciate the support of the city.

Thank you.

All right. Um, our next proclamation is for fetal alcohol spectrum disorder and joining us tonight are Clara and Alex. Thank you for, for being back again. We are really grateful that you are here bringing awareness. So I'm going to go ahead and read. You guys know the drill, right? I'm going to read the proclamation. We'll do the photo and then I'll have you step up to the podium. So the proclamation says, whereas fetal alcohol spectrum disorders or FASD is a group of conditions that can occur in a person who was exposed to alcohol before birth, causing lifelong complications such as physical behavioral and learning disabilities. And whereas in Washington State, an estimated 70,000 people have FASD with an additional estimated 870 babies being born with FASD each year. And whereas roughly one in 20 school-aged children with FASD which is known to impact learning and behavior in educational settings. And whereas FASD is the number one preventable birth defect worldwide with estimates showing that it impacts three to 5% of the population with percentages as high as 15% among vulnerable populations. And whereas each person and family affected by FASD should have access to reliable and accurate resources with a strong support system to let individuals live up to their greatest potential. Now, therefore, I, Dana Ralph, Mayor of Kent, do hereby proclaim September 2026 to be Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders Awareness Month in Kent, Washington, and encourage residents to join me in reaffirming our commitment to fighting fetal alcohol spectrum disorders.

Yeah.

Good evening mayoral from city council members. My name is Alex and I have fetal alcohol spectrum disorder or. Is a neuro disability and is caused if mothers consume alcohol during pregnancy. A study done in 2026, 2026, estimates that 400,051 of adults and children in the state alone have. Here are some other facts from the same study that researchers found. In Washington, 27.3% of pregnancies are exposed to alcohol. This is higher than a national average of 15.2%. 15% of the people in Washington binge drink, increasing the risk of babies being born with FASD. Also, Washington only has five providers or clinics for FASD, which means it's not enough support or care for those of us affected. Shockingly, FASD is not named in the definition of developmental disabilities. It is also not named a condition for Medicaid waivers, which is another big problem for us, those affected. Living with FASD is hard for me. I struggle with math and I struggle to make friends. I have a hard time being organized and I am always in trouble for my messy room. I can also be super impulsive and do things without understanding the consequences. I really hope that no one else has to suffer the consequences of somebody else's actions like I and everyone else with FASD has to. I hope that me and my sister's words that we have spoken today make an impact to any woman planning to or already pregnant. Four years ago, I stood right here and said I pray to God as I walk this earth that I hope this proclamation makes a change. But really, it's going to take more than a proclamation to make a change. It's going to take people, good people like you, to make that change. Good evening, thank you, and good night.

Good evening Mayor Ralph and city council members. My name is Clara O'Keefe. I am now a 14-year-old FASD advocate. Four years ago, we started this journey of advocating. I hope to continue that as I grow older. Today, I want to dive deeper into how FASD impacts me and my late sister. First of all, FASD is an invisible disability that stands for fetal alcohol spectrum disorder caused by a mother drinking alcohol while pregnant. The most common effects of FASD are difficulties in school, anger, impulsivity, not understanding consequences of behavior, and having a hard time understanding things. For me, I have a hard time with anger, impulsivity, and math, though I am doing much better than I used to. With the support of my family and my Catholic faith, I have learned better self-awareness, which is important for helping me recognize what I need to work on. But I actually want to talk about my sister's FASD journey. Her name was Starla Jane Heimberg O'Keeffe. She was born on March 2, 2011. During her time with us, she had a really hard time in school. Often running away, a lot of the times ended up down the street from the school. She didn't understand a lot of things she was taught. She had anger issues and had meltdowns every day. But her story is powerful because while she struggled with those things, she also had strengths. We were really close sisters. She loved to replay the beginning of Frozen, and we'd act it out in the kitchen. She played Elsa, I played Anna. She was very fond of Elsa, and I can hear her saying, I want to be Queen Elsa when I grow up. She would spend her time writing or drawing stories she made up from Frozen and Trolls. I remember waking up to her singing Let It Go at 6am in the morning in our room. She loved watching Bluey and dancing. We had a lot of fun together. Starla is the beginning of where our story starts. She changed my life. In the second week of September 2021, Starla became ill and was transferred to Seattle Children's Hospital. She was only 10. She was diagnosed with Adams disease. Less than a week later, on September 17th, she died. Throughout this difficult journey of losing her, she taught me a lot about my FASD. I've learned to better control my anger and push through math. Because through her example, she taught me to push through my weaknesses and embrace my strengths. For me, my strengths are music. I can play 20 instruments, and my favorite is the violin. I'm very good at language arts, languages, and many more things. But one of the hardest parts for me about having FASD is my self-esteem. I think I'm a mistake, I'll never be good enough, or I don't matter. Some days are really hard just to get through that. But I know that's not true. But just because I have a disability or somebody else does does not mean any of those things. Every person matters and has value. With the right help, kids with FASD can excel. They can be someone. I can be someone. My dream is that before I turn 18, all of Kent, maybe even half of Washington State, knows and are able to help people with FASD and can work to prevent it. We need educators, doctors, and mental health specialists to learn about and understand FASD so that we can get the support we need to become the best person we can be. We need people like you who can help us or just help prevent FVSD. Thank you to everyone who is here today and for listening to this speech. Please share my message with others. It really helps. And one last thing. If there was one person in my life who has helped me the most, it would be my mom. Even though she's our great aunt and she adopted us in 2023, she'll always be my mom no matter what. She has taught me the skills I have today, teaches the school every day, gives me love and support, my dreams, and works hard. Thank you, Mom. I love you.

Thank you.

Thank you both so much. Start out with thank you, Ann. Year after year, we hear about how much you support Clara and Alex. And I think all of us are very, very grateful for that. So thank you. Yep. I'm just gonna ask you how long it's been that you both have been coming to city council. So it's been, this is the fourth year? Somewhere in that. So for the members of our audience, Four and a half years ago, I got a request for a meeting from Alex and Clara to come and talk about the impacts of FASD and what they are going through. And you heard them say it to make sure that this very preventable condition doesn't continue. Brought me a PowerPoint and drawings and data and facts. And I have never been so impressed by what I have heard and not... It's hard, right? It's really hard. The amount of information and the willingness to share their stories and to be vulnerable and talk about the impacts in an effort 100% to make sure that nobody else has to deal with that. I was impressed then I continue to be impressed. I learned several things from your presentation tonight that I want to follow up with you on upcoming. Maybe some connections we can make with some of our some of our colleagues in the legislature. got some interesting things that I think maybe we can work on. I just want to say thank you both for your continued work, making sure that you're keeping Starla's memory alive, that you're talking about that, talking about the struggles and the things that you're doing to overcome because you are both absolutely amazing human beings and the work that you were doing is invaluable. We will continue to talk about it and spread your message, but you're doing the hard work and we're grateful for that. So thank you both very, very much.

Yes, yes.

Yeah, grateful. All right. This is one of those no easy transition moments in the meeting. So, Council President, I'm going to turn it over to you for community events.

Thank you, Madam Mayor, and I do want to echo what you said for a second for Alex and Clara. Thank you for coming here, and thank you for the courage. And I hope our residents and our community listens to your message and takes it to their heart, because it really means a lot, so. With that, as Madam Mayor said, it's hard to transition, but I'll be sharing events happening at SSO Showroom Center. September 26th is a home opener for Seattle Thunderbirds versus Prince George Cougars and the entire season for 2026 and 2027. Tickets go on sale tomorrow at 10 a.m. October 2nd, Seattle Thunderbirds are playing Wenatchee Wild. And what I'm very excited about is October 22 through 2025, Disney on Ice is coming here, presents Jump In, and tickets are on sale now. You can purchase those tickets on SSOShowerscenter.com. And also, our Kent Farms Market is still going on on Saturdays at Town Square Plaza, and it goes on until, I believe, October 13. And back to you, Madam Mayor.

All right. Thank you. All right, the next item on our agenda is Puget Sound Regional Fire Authority Governance Board structure changes. Back in August on the primary ballot, a measure went before the Black Diamond community about the City of Black Diamond joining the Puget Sound Regional Fire Authority. That measure passed in Black Diamond, so they are going to be joining the RFA, and with that, the Governance Board took action to change the structure and makeup of the board. And part of the action that they took was to change the number of council members that represent each city. So in cities like Kent and Tukwila, the decision was to go from three members of the governance board down to two members and an alternate. And that change will be taking effect in October. So with that, our policy is set up that the council president makes the decision on which council members serve on those boards. And so I'm going to turn it over to Council President Kaur for that announcement.

Thank you, Madam Mayor. Since we will have two seats and one alternate, Council Member Troutner will continue serving on the board as a voting member. And Council Member Boyd will continue serving as a voting member. For now, Council Member Larmer will be the alternate, but we still have conversations to be had on that. So we'll be working on that. But right now, it's Council Member Larmer as the alternate. All right. And that is it. Thank you.

Thank you. All right. We are going to move on to reports of several things this evening. So each one of the council members sits on a variety of boards outside of our city council meetings, making sure that the city of Kent's positions and voice are being heard at both the regional and state level as policy decisions and funding decisions are made. I'm going to start with a couple of reports. The first thing tonight, I want to give an update on the quiet zone. So we heard the train as we were presenting the proclamation. So over the last close to 14 years, the City of Kent has been working with the Federal Rail Administration to establish a quiet zone through the City of Kent. meaning that as the trains go through that loud horn that is extremely disruptive to so many that are living in the downtown and even up on the hills, that that would not be happening anymore. So making really clear that the crossing arms still go down, the lights are still flashing, the signal when you're at the crossing still happens. We've done extensive safety improvements, upgrades with fencing and the heights of barriers, those kind of things. that quiet zone went into effect this last week. As you could tell from the train horn we heard this evening, it has not taken effect. So we started out with a phone call to the Federal Rail Administration the day of the establishment of that quiet zone last week, worked with them over the last couple of days, and it has been brought to our attention that Burlington Northern Santa Fe BNSF failed to complete their necessary work. So we had done all of our things. They failed to put up the signage that alerts the conductors to the quiet zone. So as the conductors are coming through, they're still blowing their horns on the outside. We can all see the signs that say no horns. We've made the announcement, done all those things. Again, so the the FRA recognized that Kent had completed its all of its obligations. The quiet zone was established beginning August 20th midnight at August 27th and we're still hearing the horns. What we do know is that Burlington Northern has acknowledged that they failed to get those signs up and sometime. We're hoping by the middle of September that signage will be up and that quiet zone that is technically in effect will be carried out and those train horns will no longer be happening. A couple of things that I, again, I just want to double down on. There's been a lot of concerns online about safety. All of the safety... Pieces are in play so the conductors will still blow their horn if there is someone or something on the track The crossing arms go down the signal lights are flashing the fencing's there the higher barriers all of those all of those things are Are in place and will continue to be in place and then the other thing I want to address is there's been some conversation about a People have moved in, the train has been there for a really long time. All of those things are true, but what has changed is where there used to be a couple of trains coming through on the BN line in the city of Kent, we are now upwards of 50 or 60 trains a day. So the amount of disruption has significantly increased, and that's part of what we have heard from downtown residents and business owners, that that significant increase is really the part, and it runs, it's 24 hours a day, so. I know council has worked really hard along with our public work staff to get this established and we shall see come the second week in September that we're finally there. With that, just a couple of quick updates on meetings. Council, I am pleased to let you know that at our last SCIP board meeting, we offered the job of the executive manager to Dorsal Plants. Dorsal has been working with SCIP for the last probably four years, and he interviewed for the executive manager position recently. The board offered him that role and he accepted so really excited about the continuity that he brings to that role he is while the in the interim role has really stepped up and shown that he understands the needs of skip and the Member cities and so we're really excited to have him in that role we are in the final phases of the funding application process for skip money and we'll have some reports and coming up about different projects across the South County that have applied for that funding. But Dorsal is officially our new executive manager. Last report I have is yesterday, King County Flood Control District Advisory Board presented our letter to the Board of Supervisors on recommendations. So this year is a little different. We're gonna be presenting those recommendations in two parts. The budget was not available for us to make a comment on, so the advisory board will continue to meet. But the letter that was presented to the Board of Supervisors really doubled down on the importance That's that spider. Sorry, the spider was present at an earlier meeting and Councilmember Boyce chose to do nothing about it, so now it's right here in front of me. I apologize for that. It was probably the least professional thing I've done in a meeting in a long time, but I'm gonna leave the spider right there. The advisory committee made recommendations to the Board of Supervisors that we really need to step up the pace at which projects are completed and find funding opportunities and ways to support those projects. So that is the first letter. The second letter will be more focused on the projects that will be coming this year. I will keep you posted. We'll be presenting both letters to the Board of Supervisors or the King County flood. King County Council members that act as the Board of Supervisors in an upcoming meeting. So stay tuned on the final product, but that first letter as required was submitted to them yesterday. So. With that, I'm going to turn it over to Pat Fitzpatrick.

Thank you, Madam Mayor. One quick update. Staff will be bringing to the council an amendment to the city's code enforcement ordinance. It's something we've been working on for quite some time. There's a lot of cleanup in that ordinance across the entire code. But also, we're going to be making specific amendments that are geared toward a more efficient and effective system for dealing with Gaining compliance with commercial property code violations. So that is on the way in the next month or so and stay tuned for more on that Thank you Thank You council president Thank You madam mayor earlier tonight.

We had our council workshop and we got update on our Facilities move for our staff ASB building as it's called and that presentation is available on Ken TV 21 and our Facebook page and I serve on various boards and commissions regionally, but we did not have our meetings during the last month. I did have one update from public health board regarding pet licenses and the changes they're making that will be available in my council newsletter that comes out tomorrow. And it will also include all the events I have been to with the pictures. And you can sign up on our city's website to cancel newsletters. So with that, I'm going to go ahead and get started. To my right, Council Member Troutner.

Thank you, Madam President. I sit on the Puget Sound Regional Fire Authority Governance Board. At our last meeting, we had a couple of proclamations and some meritorious awards. I also got to do a presentation from the Citizen Advisory Committee, which I am chair of. On August 12th, we got to observe a multi-company where members of that committee got to go to Station 74 and watch a simulated two-story house fire. There was also a vehicle crash involving extrication. And it's really cool when our committee members get to see some of that stuff and watch our firefighters in action so that we can go out in the community and share what they're doing and what that looks like. So there's pictures of that in the newsletter. I also sit on the Regional Transit Committee, and we did not meet in August. And that is all I have. Thank you, Council Member Trout or Council Member Boyce.

Thank you, Madam President. I sit on the city public safety committee and represent the city on the public safety side. So we did have an ordinance that we introduced tonight and if you have noticed that you've been driving around in the state of kent there's an influx of unlicensed mobile food place almost on every corner right so we put the ordinance in place really that's going to require them and it's a public safety issue right so really they're going to require them they must have a license they must be able to have the food handling document that is saying they can handle food and the ordinance was passed tonight and it will go in effect 30 days from now so Other than that, I do sit on the SCA public issue committee called PIT. We took the month of August off, so we got our next meeting coming up on a week from tomorrow, and I'll report out then. Thank you.

Thank you, Council Member Boyce. Council Member Larmer. Thank you, Council President. I sit on the King County Growth Management Planning Committee. We did not meet in August. We will be meeting September 16th.

Thank you, Council Member Larmer. Council Member Michaud. Thank you, Council President. I serve on Kent's Human Services Commission as the Council liaison. They adopted their or approved their grant funding recommendations, so those will be coming to Council. I believe that Marina will present us with those recommendations and explain the whole process. So more to come.

Thank you, Council Member Schoker. Thank you, Council President. I sit on the Sound Cities Association's Equity and Inclusion Cabinet. We haven't met this month, so no new updates there. All my other updates are in the Council Newsletter.

Thank you, Ms. Shoker. And with that, back to you, Madam Mayor.

All right. Thank you. Moving on in our agenda, item number six is public hearing. We have a public hearing tonight on the resolution reviewing moratorium on additional or expanded jail, correctional, or other detention facilities. So we will now hold the public hearing on the resolution renewing the moratorium on additional or expanded jail, correctional, or other detention facilities. Staff will give a presentation and then I'll invite the public to provide testimony, written statements, and other evidence. Public input must relate to the subject of the public hearing and council members, as you know, you may ask questions during the hearing. If you're here to testify on this matter or present written statements or evidence, please sign up with the city clerk at the front table. With that, the public hearing on the resolution is now open and I'd like to invite Kristen Holdsworth up to make the presentation.

Good evening, Mayor and Council. It's good to see you tonight. I'm here to give you a recap of what's happened as we have an existing moratorium on this topic and to talk about next steps. So on March 3rd, Council adopted Resolution 2109, which is a moratorium on siting, establishment, change of use, conversion, operation, development, or expansion of jails, corrections and other detention facilities. That moratorium was for a six month period and is set to expire on September 3rd. State law allows jurisdictions to extend moratoriums for one or more six month periods. So we're before you tonight to extend the moratorium for another six month period. And that process to do that is to hold a public hearing and then adopt another resolution with findings of fact, which are before you tonight. There is no limit. on how many times a resolution for a moratorium can be extended. If you choose to, we can continue to extend for another six month period after this one. But for you, tonight is the public hearing. I wanted to give a quick recap on some of the reasons why we first adopted the moratorium and why we believe it should be extended. So the comprehensive plan calls for a lot of new growth in the city, 10,200 new housing units and 32,000 new jobs by 2044. It was developed through extensive public engagement and one of the main points we heard from the community as a desire for more activity and opportunity to live, work, and play in Kent. And our work on the comprehensive and downtown plan especially reiterate the need to maintain our current tax base. So over 63% of land in downtown is already exempt from property taxes. Another priority in our comp plan is regional equity and distribution of facilities. So given all of that information in total, we believe that an expansion or new, any newer expanded facilities of this type may be incompatible and deter implementation of those visions and goals that we've established through other state requirements for Growth Management Act. It also could put us at risk for inconsistency and loss of funding opportunities for our PSRC regional designated centers. So in closing, we propose to extend this moratorium for another six months. And if you choose to do so, it would be through, and I can't believe I'm saying this date, March 1st, 2027. So happy to discuss further. We've also been following what other jurisdictions have done in this rolling moratorium is the path that they're taking as well.

Kristen, I had a hard time saying September 1st when we started, so I don't know where the year's going. All right, council, do you have any questions? All right, Melissa, do we have anyone signed up to testify?

We do, we have two people signed up. First one is Kara Haney.

All right, as you make your way to the podium, if you could state your name and city of residence for the record. Just a reminder that your comments need to be related to the matter of the public hearing. We do have a three-minute timer that will go up on the screen.

All righty. Good evening, Mayor Ralph and city council members. My name is Kara Haney. I am a resident of Kent East Hill. Last March, I stood before you asking for a one-year moratorium, and while that's still my wish, I completely understand the constraints in that action. So tonight, I'm here to begin to thank you for your continued leadership in keeping the detention center moratorium in place for the next six months. This is especially important to me as we continue to witness the conditions inside federally funded, privately operated immigration detention centers, conditions that I believe warrant the term concentration camps. People are being detained for prolonged periods, separated from their families and communities, and held in conditions that are unconscionable. And in Kent, this is not something that's happening to those people somewhere else. We are one of the most diverse Kent cities in Washington. These are our neighbors, our coworkers, our students, family members, and members of our community. Through my work with the Washington Neighborhood Defense Organization, I have been visiting businesses throughout Kent and talking with owners and employees about their rights, if ICE agents were to come to their workplaces. In those conversations, I am hearing more and more horrific, tragic, and demoralizing stories about Kent residents and workers being taken from our community and detained under conditions no human being should have to endure. There may be limits to what a city can do to stop what's happening at the federal level, but this is one of those things we can do. You can ensure that our city does not provide another physical location, in which this system can operate. Thank you for continuing this moratorium, for using the authority you have, and for doing your part to keep additional detention centers out of the City of Kent.

Hi, Barbara Clements, and I was here in March, here again, and I'll be here every time, encouraging you to please understand why I would like a one-year, too, but I understand why you need to do the six-month. We need to keep these ice concentration camps out of our city. Ice has particularly been hitting our city and this area hard. Grabbing people on their way to work, grabbing people as their bus stops and shipping them off to the Tacoma facility or parts unknown that have awful conditions. And the last thing we need is one of those here. So please keep extending this moratorium until the current. horror we're living in right now, and our community being in fear is gone, which probably means another two years until Trump is out of office. And I appreciate you doing this to keep this particular nightmare out of our city as long as we can. Thank you.

Thank you. Melissa, do we have anyone else signed up? No one else. All right. Do we have any written comments that have been submitted? All right. With that, is there a motion to close the public hearing? So moved.

Second.

Got a motion and a second to close the public hearing. All those in favor, please say aye.

Aye.

Opposed? Motion carries 6-0. The public hearing is now closed. Council, any questions, discussion, or debate on this topic? All right, seeing none, is there a motion to adopt resolution 2110?

I move to adopt resolution number 2110, adopting findings of fact and renewing for a six-month period a moratorium on additional or expanded jail correctional or other detention facilities.

Second. All right, we've got a motion and a second. Any discussion? Hearing none, all those in favor, please say aye. Aye.

Opposed? Motion carries 6-0.

All right. We are going to move on to public comment. Melissa, do we have anyone signed up for public comment? All right.

We have two people signed up. The first one is Daryl Jones.

All right. So public comment period is your opportunity to speak to the council and the mayor on issues that relate to the city of Kent or the agenda items council will consider. This is not an open public forum and comments that do not relate to the business of the city are not permitted. Additionally, the state strictly prohibits people from using public comment opportunity for political campaign purposes, including to support or oppose ballot measures or a candidate running for office. Speakers may not give political campaign speeches and must instead speak to the matter of the city council's agenda. Further, in providing public comment, speakers must address the mayor and council as a whole, and remarks intended to target an individual on the dais are not permitted. We do have a three-minute timer. If you could state your name and city of residence for the record, and we'll go ahead and put the timer up.

Okay, that's Daryl Jones from Kent, and I'm here to talk to you about police misconduct within Kent. And that's basically D-A-R-R-Y-L Jones from Kent, and that's .com, which is where you'll find the evidence that I uploaded online, basically to support my contention that there is misconduct within the police department. I had the unfortunate circumstance of speaking to Sergeant Luntz on the telephone, and he called in response to my call for service. And he did not turn on his body-worn camera to record our conversation until such time as he made comments which I deemed to be inappropriate. And I informed him that I was going to be activating a recording device of my own. Subsequently, I was contacted by a Sergeant Stewart with the Professional Standards Unit. And I pointed out to him that according to section 6.80 of the Kent Police Department manual, officers are supposed to activate their body cameras before civilian contact for all calls for service. And I emphasize the word all. But then Sergeant Stewart told me that at some point in time, some unknown individual at some unknown date told him, well, no, we don't have to do that. But it's not within the four corners of that manual. If you're going to change a manual, it actually has to be in writing. Then he said he was going to get in touch with me after he found out who told him that and let me know. After about a month, the only thing I heard was silence. So then I wrote him back and asked for an update. At that point, I was contacted by a Commander Mills with the Professional Standards Unit. He told me that Officer Stewart was right. So I asked him, please show me where in the manual. I can find this exception to the rule so I can look it up for myself. Same thing. Silence. He basically ignored me. So at this point, I call for the city to open and have an independent investigator come in and look at what's going on within the department. Because the fact of the matter is, if you've got a commander with the police department willing to, we'll say, misrepresent the facts, what's commonly known as lying, to a member of the public, then who's to say that with this culture of misinformation, of lying, of deception, that other officers below commanders, below sergeants, take this as, oh, well, this is carte blanche. I can lie on my police report. I can get up on the stand and lie and have somebody thrown in jail. Because lying is acceptable within the confines of that department. And so I think somebody needs to look into this, but apparently nobody seems to be willing to want to do so. Send in my comment.

Thank you. Great. Next speaker.

Alicia Yonkers.

Evening, Madam Mayor and member of the City Council. My name is Alicia Yonker. I live in the Lakes community here in Kent. I'm standing here, well, standing here, sitting alongside my neighbors because our community is facing an active ecological disaster and potential public health hazard. Last week, a contractor authorized by our master HOA administered a heavy chemical treatment of hydrothol-191, which is a very strong pesticide, in our shallow lake basins. Within days, hundreds of fish died, as witnessed and documented by many of my neighbors and myself. Since then, we've all been on numerous calls with the Washington Department of Ecology, the Washington Department of Agriculture, the City of Kent, Code Enforcement, the Washington Department of Fish and Natural Resources, King County Natural Resources, the list goes on. So far, Ecology is investigating this under ERTS number 74952529, the department of agriculture has opened pesticide complaint number t 26002407 it has now been several days since the massive fish kill and hundreds of fish carcasses remain in and around the lake they are decomposing directly behind our homes and the odor is extremely strong in parts of the neighborhood and residents have documented wildlife scavenging the fish our lake neighborhood is a part of the green river natural resource area which is a protected land and ecological habitat for a lot of bald eagles and various goose and waterfowl. We understand that determining the precise cause of the fish mortality may require investigation and laboratory testing. We are not asking the city council to prejudge those findings. What we are asking for is immediate help with the conditions that exist right now and transparency about what led to them. As I've stated before, I've been on multiple calls with code enforcement and have not received a call back. However, our master HOA board has completely shut down communication. They are hiding behind a wall of silence and claiming that they are waiting for lab results and trying to blame, quote, low water quality. Our lake basins are shallow, as I said before, only four to eight feet deep. According to federal pesticide labels, treating a shallow basin carries extreme risk of an instant oxygen crash for fish in the lakes. Furthermore, this has happened three other times before in our neighborhood. The HOA knew of this ecosystem that was fragile and high risk, yet they proceeded blindly without public disclosure or community input. Even worse, the HOA is now refusing to take any action to clean up the dead decaying fish. This denture is overwhelming and is becoming a breeding ground for bacteria and disease. Residents should not have to wait weeks for a final lab report before learning who is responsible and who should be cleaning up the dead fish. We are here tonight to ask the city of Kent to step in and protect its residents. We urge code enforcement and local health officers to issue immediate daily fines against the master HOA until they hire and oversee a professional biohazard crew to clean up this hazard. We also ask this council to use its high-level authority to pressure state investigators for full transparency. Thank you for your time.

Thank you. I just want to put out on the record so our city did respond to the the complaints we did connect. This is a private facility series of retention ponds that are built into the Lakes neighborhood. I know that we did make the connections between the residents and Department of Ecology, Washington State Department of Agriculture, Chad Baron, our public works director is in the back. If you have any additional questions and then we will. see where else we have an opportunity. Again, private property and the homeowners association, but we'll make sure that those connections continue to be made. All right, Melissa, do we have anyone else signed up?

There's no one else.

All right, thank you. All right, moving on to item number eight on the agenda. It's our consent calendar. Consent calendar is a compilation of items that the city council has considered at both workshops And Committee of the Whole had an opportunity to engage in discussion and ask questions. These items have all passed out of Committee of the Whole unanimously. We have tonight items A through I. Is there a motion to approve the consent calendar? So moved.

Second.

Got a motion and a second. All those in favor, please say aye. Aye. Opposed? Motion carries 6-0. We do not have any other business this evening, bids or an executive session. So that brings us to the bottom of our agenda. And with that, we are adjourned.