Board of Supervisors - Regular Meeting

Good afternoon. I'd like to call to order the Pierce County Council meeting for June 16, 2026. The time is 3.01. The clerk, please call the roll.

Councilmember Morrell.

Excuse.

Councilmember Krueger. Here. Councilmember Ayala. Here. Councilmember Yambe.

Here.

Councilmember Denson. Here. Councilmember Hitchen. Council Member Herrera.

Here.

You have six members present?

Six members. We have a quorum. Item number three, I'd like to let everyone know we're going to do the Pledge of Allegiance and I will read that today. Following the pledge, I'd ask you to remain standing for a moment of silence. Today, the Council will dedicate its moment of silence to one of its own. Larry Stickney, who passed away last weekend after a prolonged illness. Larry served as council member assistant for council district number three, supporting the residents of South Pierce County with compassion, dedication, and unwavering commitment. His warm smile, his kind spirit, his passion for public service, and a gift for storytelling touched a lot of lives and colleagues here at the county council. Larry gave a lot to this council and to the community he served and he will not be forgotten. When someone's gone, it's their presence is what we miss. And the council and staff extend their condolences to Larry's family, to his friends and his loved ones. So please rise for the Pledge of Allegiance. I pledge allegiance to the flag We acknowledge that we are on the traditional homelands of the Coast Salish tribes. Coast Salish people have lived on and steward these lands since time immemorial and continue to do so today. We recognize that this land acknowledgement is one small step towards true allyship and we commit to the uplifting the voices, the experiences and histories of the indigenous people of this land. Okay, we're gonna move on to approval of the agenda. We are now on section four, approval of our agenda. Are there any objections approving today's agenda as presented? Seeing no objection, the agenda is approved. On today's council agenda, there'll be multiple opportunities for public comment. On the consent agenda, you may provide comments on any final action item that doesn't include items placed on the consent agenda for introduction or scheduling. During sections eight and nine of the agenda, we will take public comment on each ordinance and resolution. And finally, under community forum, there'll be an opportunity to address the council on any topic that is not up for final action on today's agenda. For information on all these rules for public participation, please review the bottom of page one on today's agenda. Okay. Item number five, we now have the consent agenda before us, and today's consent agenda includes two sets of minutes and one grant application. So I am looking at the consent agenda. Are there any items on here that members would like to pull for consideration? Okay, seeing none, Councilmember Denson for a motion.

Thank you, Chair. I move that the council approve the consent agenda.

Okay. All right. And we have a motion. Second. And a second to approve the consent agenda. I'd like to open this up for comment on the consent agenda. This is an opportunity to provide comment on any final action items on the consent agenda. Please state your name if you'd like for it to be on the record and come up here to the podium. Keep your remarks to three minutes and direct all comments to the chair. And I'll start with anybody in chambers on the consent agenda. Anybody in chambers? Nobody in chambers coming up to the podium. Anybody online, Mr. Dominique?

Anybody who wishes to provide comment on the consent agenda, please press the raise hand icon and zoom or star nine on your telephone keypad.

There are no hands at this time, Chair. Thank you. No hands. So we'll close public comment. And we have in front of us a motion to approve the consent agenda. At this time, we'll have the clerk please call the roll. Thank you.

Council Member Denson? Aye. Council Member Herrera?

Aye.

Council Member Krueger? Aye. Council Member Ayala? Aye. Council Member Yambe? Aye. Council Member Hitchen? Hitchen says aye. We have six ayes, zero nays.

Six ayes and zero nays. The motion is passed. Okay, moving right along. Okay, messages from the Executive. We have two signed ordinances back from the Executive from June 10th, 2026, which are ordinance number 02026-516S, an ordinance for the Pierce County Council repealing to Parks and Recreation's open space plan and adopting a new Parks and Recreation and open space plan. And ordinance number 02026-520S, an ordinance for the Pierce County Council relating to reducing zoning barriers for daycare facilities. So those were signed. So item number seven, we're gonna go right into proclamations. We have a proclamation of the Pierce County Council and Executive designating June 19th as Juneteenth National Independence Day in Pierce County. And I'd like to welcome the, I'd like to invite the following individuals to the podium. If you will, we'll read the proclamation in. We have Champagne Lewis, if she's here. Isis Ashino. Okay. Lauren Flemister. She's here. Reginald Reese. Amanda Scott Thomas. Lyric Alexander. J.D. Davis. That's what we have on here. And anybody else wants to come up? So Council Member Iambi will be reading this proclamation into the record. Okay.

Thank you, Mr. Chair. A proclamation of the Pierce County Council, an executive designating June 19th, 2026 as Juneteenth National Independence Day in Pierce County, Washington. Whereas on June 19th, 1865, two and a half years after President Abraham Lincoln issued the Emancipation Proclamation, Major General Gordon Granger arrived in Galveston, Texas and issued General Order Number Three. informing the more than 250,000 enslaved Black people of Texas that they were free, marking a defining moment in our nation's long and painful reckoning in the institution of chattel slavery. And whereas the recognition of Juneteenth National Independence Day as a federal holiday in 2021 was the result of decades of tireless advocacy, including the work of Opal Lee of Fort Worth, Texas, who, beginning at age 89, walked two and a half miles each Juneteenth to represent the two and a half years enslaved Texans waited for freedom, gathering more than 1.6 million petition signatures and ultimately standing beside President Biden as he signed the Juneteenth National Independence Day Act into law. And whereas Juneteenth, National Independence Day, also known as Freedom Day, Jubilee Day, and Emancipation Day, has been observed by Black communities for more than 160 years as a time of reflection, remembrance, and rejoicing, sustaining the memory of liberation through Reconstruction, the Great Migration, the Civil Rights Movement, and into the present day, and Whereas the 13th Amendment to the Constitution, ratified in December 1865, formally abolished cattle slavery throughout the United States, and Juneteenth stands as a powerful human moment when that long-promised freedom was finally felt, and... Whereas in 1865, General William T. Sherman issued Special Field Order No. 15, setting aside approximately 400,000 acres of land along the coasts of South Carolina, Georgia, and Florida for settlement by formerly enslaved families, giving rise to the enduring phrase, 40 acres and a mule. which came to symbolize the hope that freedom would be accompanied by meaningful economic opportunity, land ownership, and self-determination. And whereas following the assassination of President Lincoln, much of that land was returned to former Confederate landowners, displacing newly freed families and denying many the opportunity to build generational wealth and economic independence, forcing countless African Americans into exploitive systems of sharecropping and tenant farming, and whereas this day not only serves as a celebration of freedom, but as a solemn reminder of our shared responsibility to honestly confront the enduring legacy of child slavery and systemic racism, and to advance racial equity and inclusion in every part of our society. And, whereas that freedom was short-lived for many, as the 13th Amendment's prohibition on slavery and involuntary servitude contained a critical exception, permitting involuntary servitude as a punishment for crime whereof the party shall have been duly convicted. An exception that was quickly and deliberately exploited during the Reconstruction era and beyond. And whereas, by the 1870s, almost all the people under criminal custody of the southern states were black, and tens of thousands of people overwhelmingly black, were leased by state governments to plantation owners, railroad companies, coal mines, and road building operations and subjected to brutal conditions, often for minor offenses such as vagrancy, representing a continuation of forced labor under a different legal structure following the abolition of child slavery, and whereas many scholars, historians, and civil rights advocates have drawn connections between the exploitation of the 13th Amendment's exception clause, the system of conduct leasing that followed emancipation, and the ongoing conversations about racial disparities within the criminal legal system, underscoring the importance of understanding the full history of freedom and justice in the United States. And whereas Pierce County, including the city of Tacoma, is home to the largest Juneteenth celebration in Washington state, Juneteenth celebration of Road to Economic Freedom held annually at Hobb Family Field at LeMay America's Car Museum this year, and drawing approximately 20,000 attendees from the South Sound and beyond. And whereas the theme, A Road to Economic Freedom, reflects the understanding that freedom is not merely the absence of bondage, but the presence of opportunity and that thriving communities require access to housing, healthcare, families in the broader region, families, and communities while honoring the history and contributions of African Americans. And whereas in recognizing Juneteenth, we honor the immeasurable strength, resilience, achievements, leadership, and cultural contributions of Black Americans throughout our nation's history, contributions made often under conditions of profound injustice, and recommit ourselves to the unfinished work of building a more just, equitable, inclusive future. And therefore, we are proclaimed on the 16th day of June, 2026, by the Pierce County Council and County Executive that June 19th, 2026 is hereby designated Juneteenth National Independence Day in Pierce County, Washington. And we encourage all community members to reflect on the true meaning of freedom, engage honestly with our collective history, celebrate the rich heritage and enduring contributions of African Americans and Black Americans in our communities, and participate in efforts that advance understanding, opportunity, equity, and unity for all. Signed, the Pierce County Executive and Pierce County Council. All right, let's give him a hand.

Thank you for being here today. If you'd like to, if anyone wants to start off, step forward into the podium and introduce yourself and speak a little bit today. I mean, ladies and gentlemen, we have Miss Juneteenth, 2026 in the house. So. Thank you all.

I do appreciate the opportunity to speak to you for instance today. My name is John.

I represent the Tacoma Pierce County Black Collective and also the Tacoma NAACP. Both Lyle Quesem couldn't be here and President Milando-Redeemer just contacted me and said he couldn't make it today. As a former president, I feel comfortable coming here and reminding the world of what Councilmember Youngbe just brought to our attention. Many of us don't know. And that absence of knowledge allows us to be a part of the continued struggle. So I just, I thank you for that information. It wasn't too long. this is but that was not too long so thank you so much i do feel very proud to be here with a tank commander from fort lewis and other places in the world who i shared space with i served in the army proudly and i feel strong I feel very strong as a part of a community of Pierce County that recognizes the need for us to be together and to recognize Juneteenth as something that is beyond imagination, coming from a place of total ignorance that you've been freed. to having the opportunities that you speak of. Thank you. I appreciate your opportunity for this recognition, and we will take this proclamation to the NAACP and to the Black Collective. Thank you. All right. Thank you.

Anybody else?

Good afternoon, council. My name is Amanda Scott Thomas, and I'm wearing two hats today. I just want to thank you for the proclamation. It goes forward in continuing to celebrate our history and combat erasure of our history. And we celebrate Juneteenth. and its significance on the community, our world, that it still stands today. I am an employee of Tacoma Public Schools. I manage the partnership office, and we just celebrated Juneteenth as a district and did our third or fourth annual TPS Juneteenth celebration under the leadership of Dr. Milagros Thompson. And after that celebration, we went into our fourth annual Miss Juneteenth scholarship program and pageant. And we have awarded to date over $40,000 in scholarship because we believe in queens and scholars. And I'm going to have our queen for 2026, introduce herself and tell you what her community service initiative is. We believe in positive youth development, cultural identity support, and just mentoring in general. And so we gathered the community together to support our young women. We had 11 participants this year, Every single one of them walked away with scholarship money. And Lyric herself will get $2,000 in scholarships. And we are just thankful for the opportunity to support students and thankful to be a part of Juneteenth. Ms. Juneteenth, the scholarship program started with JD. The first year he did his huge, which is now the state's largest scholarship. Juneteenth celebration and then we've gone on to do that every year since and so it's an honor to be here want to appreciate you for extending the invitation and we will see you again next year but I'm gonna have miss lyric introduce herself and tell you what she her platform is for this year because she will be supporting young people through her platform throughout Pierce County right welcome mr.

Thank you for having me here. My name is Lyric Alexander. I'm Miss Juneteenth, Pierce County, 2026. My platform is... My platform is... Oh, my CSI is Breaking Down Internalized Stereotypes, and my platform is The Butterfly Effect. One change perspective can change everything. And I just want to say thank you for having me.

All right, thank you. Go Army.

Good afternoon, ladies and gentlemen, council members, distinguished guests, community members. Thank you for all being here today and thank you so much for the proclamation. I'm blessed to be alive to witness this. My name is Reggie Reese. I represent the Buffalo Soldiers Museum of Tacoma. History is not just a collection of dates in a textbook. It's a living, breathing tapestry woven by the brave individuals who came before us. Yet too often, vital threads of the tapestry are overlooked. Today, I want to share a brief story about an extraordinary local treasure right here in our backyard. a place dedicated to honoring profound and deeply courageous chapter of American history. I'm speaking about the Buffalo Soldiers Museum, located at 1940 South Wilkinson Street in Tacoma, Washington. To truly understand the weight of this institution, consider this. It's one of only two museums in the entire United States dedicated exclusively to the history of the all-black regiments that served in our nation's military. Following the Civil War, these African American soldiers stepped up to serve a country that did not yet fully recognize their own rights. From the post-Civil War era all the way through the mid-20th century, Buffalo soldiers fought with unmatched valor, played a pivotal role in America's Western expansion, and paved the way for future generations. And when you walk through the doors of the Tacoma Museum, you're greeted by a deeply moving collection of artifacts. You'll see the actual uniforms they wore, the weapons they carried, and the rare photographs and personal items that bring their daily struggles and triumphs to life. This isn't just a national story. It's a deeply local one. The museum preserves a rich history of black soldiers right here in Pierce County. In fact, it highlights their participation in the 1904 American Lake Maneuvers, a historic military exercise that ultimately led to the creation of Fort Lewis, known today as JBLM. The very existence of this museum is a testament to love, legacy, and duty. It was founded in 2005 by William Jones, an incredible man who was both a World War II veteran and a Korean prisoner of war. When Mr. Jones passed away, his daughter, Jackie Jones Hook, stepped forward to take over as executive director. She continues her father's vital mission today. At its core, this museum is a place of learning. Its educational mission focuses heavily on youth outreach. student tours, military awareness, and public lectures. It ensures that the sacrifices of these foundational American heroes are never forgotten by the generations to come. I encourage every single one of you to visit and experience this history for yourself. The museum is open to the public on Wednesdays and Saturdays from 12 p.m to 4 p.m if those days don't work for your schedule or if you'd like to arrange a group tour we warmly welcome visits by appointment outside of regular hours you can easily schedule and we'll have some brochures about the museum in closing let us commit to keeping this history alive let us visit let us learn let us honor the buffalo soldiers thank you thank you

Council members, that proclamation was incredible. I've heard several. That one was really, really good, and we thank you. It touched on a lot of areas that I believe a lot of us think about. My name is J.D. Davis. I am the founder of Way Out Kids and the producer of the Juneteenth celebration, A Road to Economic Freedom. When we were awarded the first-year contract to do Juneteenth, The theme of road to economic freedom stuck out harder than any. If you look at Juneteenth and a lot of us now have learned 1865 and then a couple of years later that they were told they were free, but no one talks about the day after that. when they were released from those properties and homes but couldn't get a job, didn't have anywhere to go. No one talks about that. No one talks about the Jim Crow laws that followed and where we still weren't able to support ourselves. So when we looked at Juneteenth and we labeled a road to economic freedom, it was very intentional on creating economic opportunities for our people. So what we did, we created an event where we could bring a bunch of resources together. So we have the banks there, so there's finance, there's housing, there's healthcare, multi-care, and all of them, everyone comes out. We have over 160 small businesses that come out, and then what we do is we cover it with a large smoke of entertainment, which brings everyone out, because no one likes a plain resource fair. But the reason Juneteenth is so important is because when you come out to that event, you should be able to find something that can help you move forward. You know, I'm proud to stand here with even seeing Amanda here, knowing that together we started that Miss Juneteenth and they started on the platform and to see where it's grown. It ties right into the theme and why. She has been a professional at what she's done and what she does as far as our young ladies go and taking them farther and opening up different opportunities. And that's what Juneteenth is all about, is opening opportunities. So June 19th. This Friday, LeMay Car Museum Hop Family Field from 12 to 6 p.m. Make sure you come out. Be a part of all the festivities because we're better together. And when you show up with your dollars, you're also showing up as someone who cares. So thank you very much. Thank you.

Okay, is there anybody else? All right.

Hello, my name is Isis Ishinohamen. I am one of the ERG co-chairs alongside Champagne. Just me? Okay. Champagne Lewis. And then our executive sponsor is here, Lauren Flemingster. Did I say that right? Okay. And yeah, we are here to, on behalf of the ERG, the Black ERG Employee Resource Group at Pierce County, we're providing a space for Black employees to just be, communicate with one another, and organize events that are centered around Blackness, our African American heritage, And yeah, we're here to support Juneteenth and its event. We're having an event on Thursday. If you want to talk about some of the... Okay, okay. Champagne will talk about the details of that event, and I'm so happy to be here, and thank you, Brian Amby, for your great proclamation and your speech. I learned a lot, and also it just touched my heart, actually. So I really appreciate being here and being a part of this event.

Good afternoon. My name is Champagne Lewis. Thank you for inviting us all here today. I am an employee of Pierce County and I work in housing and homelessness on the affordable housing team. I'm also a co-chair of the employment resource group for the black and African American resource group. I did prepare something to read. Councilmember Yambe, you did read some of what I was going to read, so I'll defer to a piece of what I'm going to read. Again, my name is Champagne Lewis. And I was born to Deborah Ann Wild and Charles Douglas Lewis. Those are my parents. And I was born in Yakima, Washington on the east side of the mountains. And I have been on the west side of the mountain since I was 18. And I moved over here in 2004. And so this is where I've been.

So I'll start now.

On June 19th, 1866, formerly enslaved African Americans gathered with family and community to celebrate their freedom. In what became the first Juneteenth celebration, their tradition spread across the country and grew to include community, gathering, food, music, storytelling, worship, and the celebration of freedom, resilience, and dignity. Today I share the words of my cousins, my aunties and uncles, words of my fathers and mothers belonging to my brothers and sisters. As we reflect on the meaning of Juneteenth, we're reminded of the struggle for freedom has always been rooted in our shared humanity. As Desmond Tutu said, our humanity is connected to one another and to the communities we build together. And he quoted, my humanity is bounded up in yours and we can only be human together. Juneteenth also reminds us that freedom and quality of life are inseparable and that one cannot truly exist without the other. Brother Malcolm X quoted this, you cannot separate peace from freedom because no one can be at peace unless he has his freedom. The history we remember today requires us to acknowledge the reality of American slavery and the lasting impact it has had on individuals, families, countries, communities, and America as a whole. Kevin Bales stands firmly on this truth. Slavery is theft, theft of life, theft of work, theft of property and produce, theft even of the children a slave might have borne. And yet the story of Juneteenth is not only about what was taken, it is also about the recognition of dignity, humanity, and the rights that belong to every person. And as we continue working toward a more just and humane society, we are reminded that discrimination in any form diminishes us all. As Shirley Chisholm reminded us, in the end, anti-black, anti-female, and all forms of discrimination are equivalent to the same thing, anti-humanism. The recognition of Juneteenth as a federal holiday may not mark the end of structural racism in the United States, but it is an important step forward. In addition to its historical significance, Juneteenth celebrates African American heritage, culture, music, food, faith, and traditions, and the many contributions black Americans have made to our nation. It serves as both a reminder of the struggle endured and the resilience demonstrated throughout history, while also offering hope for a future where freedom, opportunity, and fairness are fully realized for all. Happy Juneteenth, Happy Jubilee, and Happy Freedom Day. So as my co-chair did say, we do have a Juneteenth event happening at Wapato Park this Thursday, the day before the actual federal holiday, which is June 18th. It is happening from 2 p.m. to 4 p.m. We will have food, we will have some stories, we will have a featured speaker, and we will be gathering In order for community members to come, you will need to be present with a Pierce County employee, but all are welcome.

All right, thank you. Okay, is there anybody else? All right, thank you for those comments. I'll open up for any council members who might want to talk. Okay. Council Member Ayala.

Thank you, Chair. First and foremost, thank you for joining us today. I just want to add one little, well, two, two little pieces of thought here. We often, during Black History Month, always share the phrase, Black history is American history. And I always go back to that because it's very commonly used. However, there's... There's a danger in equating it in such a sentence. And so I want to acknowledge Juneteenth as the very important history and pulling that out as a recognition of what has occurred. in our own history and really face that. And so I want to say thank you for being here, for adding words to what was written in the proclamation, but more importantly, for taking this out into community. I've been lucky to attend the Juneteenth celebration since it started. It's a great time. It is a great celebratory time. I see community in such a way that I don't see often. And so it's a great celebration of life, a great recognition of resource and assets. And I, for a split second, forgot it was at LeMay this year. So thank you so much for reminding us of that. I'm looking forward to joining you all on Friday. Thank you, Chair.

Thank you. Chair Hitchin.

Thank you all. Greetings and sorry I cannot be there in person, but just wanted to pause and reflect and thank you all for spending the afternoon with us to help reaffirm the work that we continue to do by acknowledging the history that we have in our community and the advocacy that you each do in your own way to lift up, amplify, educate, and support our Black African-American community members and those that want to learn and understand, which is exactly how we get to a better place. So thank you for that work. Whichever hat you wear, many of you wear multiple hats, and truly appreciate each of you. So have a wonderful Juneteenth.

Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Chair, and thanks for my colleagues and everyone for being patient with my proclamation. I know that when my colleagues probably first saw it, it was a little bit ambitious. But I will say I want to thank everybody for coming and participating in this year's Juneteenth Proclamation. Remember when I first signed up to sponsor and I looked at previous Juneteenth proclamations and I just felt it was missing because there's a lot of aspects that As government does sometimes for efficiency or sometimes just because it's assumed people know but like my colleague alluded that there's a danger in assuming and if you know, it can happen to our largest population, then it can happen to everybody. Because it says that the system, if they can ignore 30%, if they can ignore a huge chunk, then they can ignore everybody. And they tend to do it. Black people have had to shoulder the burden for a lot of different people. Black women have had to shoulder even more. Not by choice. And they, you know, and it's not your job to educate everyone. It gets tiring having to educate everybody and every time in every interaction. And I can't ever imagine, you know, like that our, uh, Like was said, it's the recognizing your humanity and the common humanity in each other and seeing similarities, which is why many immigrant groups who have been here in this country longer than a generation can identify and see each other in each other's selves. So you can understand those stories about, like Harold Moss saying, couldn't buy a home because his last name. And then he sent somebody with a white sounding last name, more Caucasian mainstream at that time, that, oh, that person got seen by a realtor. They wouldn't sell it to Harold. You can see those little things like after, you know, my own, I won't talk for other communities, but my own family who, or internment camps in World War II. And even if you had a drop of one 16th flood, you were considered tainted and an enemy. And when you were let out of these graciously released from prison, they gave you $15 and a train ticket, said, well, we don't know where to go. You're not welcome back on the West Coast because X, probably safer for you somewhere else. And all those things that relatives must have had to deal with are just microcosms of what a lot of people have had to endure. We don't bring this up because we're trying to depress. The honest reckoning with our history is important. This is a part of who we are. This is a part of our country, whether we like it or not. And those people who are trying to erase it right now don't want us to remember that. And it's really important that we keep telling these stories because so much of the common refrain is, I didn't get taught that in school. Nobody told me about that. And we are okay with that because it says, oh, well, it was beyond me, so it's not my job to learn about it. It didn't happen. Or it was my relative. It wasn't me. And that may feel good, but the reality is there's still this elephant in the room. And so you all wear many hats. I know so many of you who have to shoulder so many different things. And you do it because it's part of who we are. And it's the right thing. I can imagine it's tiring. But thank you all for all the things that you do on a daily basis. And I will say that directly to our ERG group, our Employee Resource Group. And at the county, we have these groups to help support different communities who are a part of our community, a part of our county. And we have different groups and help support each other in a workplace and working world that sometimes isn't built for them in mind. And I will do a small call out to black women who in the pandemic have lost, I think 54% of job losses for women despite being only 14% of our workforce. We might not feel it when budget cuts and we have to trim the fat, we have to be efficient in government, but we don't realize the unintended consequences of what happens when we lose perspectives in the room that have not been there for years. The reason why we are a county that is able to think more broadly and to think more forward is because we have this diverse perspectives at the table and it's important that we retain them because otherwise we become more homogeneous and we only remember certain things and then we use the excuse well it wasn't me i didn't get taught that in school so i appreciate all of you thank you for being here and thank you for all the work that you do and thank you for my colleagues thank you

Anybody else? Okay. Well, again, I'll say thanks for being here. A lot of good things were said here on the dais. I just wanted to say, you know, some of you served in the military and probably went to other places in the world like myself. And you went to other countries and you see that the borders of those countries are of people of the same race, the same culture. And what is different about this country, we are multicultural, multi-tribal. And just like the great Nisqually tribal leader, Billy Frank would say, tell your story. In this country, we have different cultures and we need to tell each other's story. So just like Mr. Reese from Buffalo Soldiers just said, so we can learn together. And I think that's Juneteenth is a date that is carved out to tell your story. And it's really important to understand everybody's story because everybody has one, no matter what. Everyone has their own culture and they have their own story, even with your own household. But this is a day to tell your story. And I think this proclamation helps tell the story. Juneteenth helps you have the platform to tell your story out there and share your culture. And I think that's a wonderful thing. So thank you for being here today. And we will take a picture with the proclamation. We'll come up here. Brian, you're going to have us come up here?

Let's have the counselors come down below.

So we'll just come up here in the front. Hi, Seth.

Yeah, we can produce it. Did you tighten it up? Tighten it?

Yeah.

Good. I was trying to get the podium out of the way. All right. Took a few photos here.

Do you keep it? No. Do we keep it? You should keep it. Let's keep it.

Oh, is this what you said? Yeah, keep it. Yeah, let's keep it. Teamwork.

Yes, thank you.

Okay, we're going to move on. The council's still in the room here. They're going to come back over. They're giving hugs and handshakes. But we're at item number eight in resolutions. We now have proposal number R2026-160 before us. Council Member Denson for a motion.

Thank you, Chair. I move proposal number R2026-160 for approval. Second.

We have a motion and a second. Will the clerk please read it into the record.

Proposal number R2026-160, a resolution of the Pierce County Council confirming Dave Katayama as a Chief Defender of the Public Defense Conflict Office.

Thank you very much for that. We have Susan Long, Chief Counsel, to brief the Council on this proposal.

All right, thank you and good afternoon. The resolution before you today confirms the executive's appointment of Dave Katiyama as the chief defender of the Public Defense Conflict Office. As for background, section 330 of the Pierce County Charter provides that except for those positions filled by election, the executive shall appoint the chief officer of each executive department and the appointments by the executive shall be subject to confirmation by a majority of the council. The Public Defense Conflict Office was created in the 2024-25 biennial budget and it was codified as a department within the executive branch through Ordinance O2026-510 just earlier this year. The duties and functions of the department are set forth in the county code and include supplementing public defense services to indigent individuals who are unable to be represented by the Department of Assigned Counsel. The qualifications and appointment process for the Chief Defender of the Public Defence Conflict Office were adopted through the enactment of Ordinance O2026-512 again earlier this year. That becomes effective on July 1st. Dave Kadiyama has served as the Chief Defender since the creation of the Public Defense Conflict Office and has been appointed by the Executive to continue serving in this capacity. The County Code at 128.175 provides procedures for confirming the appointments of Chief Officers of Executive Departments, and provides that every appointment by the executive shall be in the form of a resolution, like the one before you today, and shall be reviewed by the appropriate standing committee. In this case, this was reviewed by the Public Safety Committee on June 8th and received a due pass recommendation. The code requires or allows for a standard questionnaire to be required by the council to ascertain the appointees qualifications and that is contained in your packet materials as well. The code finally provides that any hearing on the executive's appointment shall be in a meeting open to the public and we are here today for that hearing. So this executive appointment is before the council for confirmation this afternoon. Thank you.

Thank you, Ms. Long. All right. Any questions from the council members? Thank you for being here and stepping up. And any questions from anybody? Someone's got to have some questions. Is that you or is it just on?

Well, I can't turn it off, but I'll ask a question. Go ahead. Thank you. First and foremost, thank you so much. Really appreciate you joining, but also all the work that you gave to Pierce County. I'm curious in terms of your vision for this work, what... What would you like to see in terms of this office and how you would like to shepherd it forward?

And so the mission of the office will be ever- Can you move that mic up? Okay, sorry. The mission of the office will be ever changing as the needs evolve for time. There may be times where we might have to take a step back if there is ever an influx of public defenders out there, but that's probably not likely to happen. And so I think the county is gonna have many future needs in the juvenile division, District Court took on municipal and that's probably where I would envision the office moving towards as we see the gradual case reductions that will require additional staffing and it probably makes sense to have some of that staffing allocated to another office that can be more versatile to accept the conflict cases in all those divisions

Thank you so much. Appreciate it. Thank you.

Thank you. Any other questions? Well, I'll give you a curveball question. Appreciate your service. But my question to you is what like personal values do you bring to this this job that kind of is your rudder as you implement what her question was? something along those lines.

Well, probably first and foremost would be work ethic. Just to tell you a little bit about my day, I wake up at 4 o'clock every morning, work out virtually every day because I try to keep my body healthy to keep my mind healthy. I think this is a job that requires some mental toughness and endurance, and I'm a career public defender. I've dedicated the last 23 years to this job. and I don't see myself changing.

All right, thank you. And for the Regway, Council Member Morales has joined us. We got a question from Council Member Denson.

Thank you, and this may not be a fair question, but I'm just curious, because I'm sure you've given some thought. We have a lot of needs in public defense in regards to workforce. And you just mentioned that you've been a career public defender, which we're very, very grateful for. Thank you for that service. Do you have any ideas about how we might inspire the next generation of public servants in regards to the field of law? because we're going to need more. We want good quality people with heart and expertise to best serve our citizens.

So there's not one particular personality type that can fill this role and so is trying to reach as wide of an audience you can, throwing out a fishnet out there. Adequate compensation is one thing. And people's motivations can change over time. I've noticed that if attrition is largely related to personal circumstances of each individual, what works for this job may work for someone earlier on in life, but as they grow older, maybe it doesn't and vice versa. Some people get tired of the civil practice and want to try something new. So where I'm gonna have the most difficulty is because my office is not yet entry level office. All of the applicants I have to look at would have to have graduated law school perhaps three or four Years ago or more and so, um. To try to get as many applicants as possible. I think getting entry level positions would be important. Obviously, we have budget restrictions and. All is cognizant of that, but ultimately, I think the best way to. groom the next generation of public defenders is to start fresh out of law school as best you can and show them what value public defense has and how it can be personally fulfilling.

Thank you.

Okay, any other questions? All right. Okay. Looks good. All right. Thank you. I got one. You got one?

All right. This is the toughest one. So were you on Kauai during Iniki, or were you the hurricane?

Actually, I was, yeah.

Okay. Because I was looking at the school history, and, yeah, that was an intense time over there. But, yeah, I noticed that fact, and I was like, oh, I need to bring that up. Yeah. But, yeah. Okay.

I missed, I think, almost the entire school year that year.

Yeah, that was a major hurricane on Kauai. So, yeah. Okay.

All right. Last call. All right, thank you. At this time, I'd like to invite members of the public to provide, if they wanted to provide a comment on proposal number R2026-160, please state your name if you'd like it on the record and come up to the podium and keep your remarks at three minutes and direct all comments to the chair. I will start with anybody in the chambers who wants to speak on this. Okay, seeing nobody in chambers, we'll go online.

Mr. Dominique. For any member of the public that would like to provide a comment on proposal number R2026-160, please press the raise hand icon in Zoom or star nine on your telephone keypad.

There are no hands at this time, Chair. No hands and nobody in chambers, so we'll close a public comment and open this up for final comments from any of the council members. All right, okay, I don't see any more. So with that, the motion before us is the adoption of proposal number R2026-160. Clerk, can you please call the roll?

Council Member Yambe.

Aye.

Council Member Denson. Aye. Council Member Morrell.

Aye.

Council Member Herrera.

Aye.

Council Member Kruver. Aye. Council Member Ayala. Aye. Council Member Hitchen.

The motion passes. You're in. Thank you. All right. Congratulations. So, okay. All right. We just had one resolution. Now we have ordinances. We now have proposal number 02026-517 before us. Council Member Denson for a motion.

Thank you, Chair. I move for approval proposal number O2026-517. Second. All right.

It's been moved and seconded. Will the clerk please read it in the record?

Proposal number O2026-517, an ordinance of the Pierce County Council granting a non-exclusive franchise to the Westbridge Estates Water Association for location of water lines on certain county-owned rights-of-way and authorizing the county executive to execute said franchise.

Thank you for the title being read in there. We have Tom Swanson, Policy Analyst, to brief the Council on this proposal.

and it looks like we have ppw department here also thank you mr chair yes before the council we have the proposal that would authorize the executive to execute a 15-year franchise agreement with the west bridge of states allowing for the construction operation maintenance of a water pipeline system in the county in the county's right-of-way West Bridge Estates operates a Group A water system in District 7 that serves an estimated 98 residential customers on an approved 39 connections. As a Group A water system, this application has been reviewed against the Coordinated Water System Plan, and Planning and Public Works staff have found the application to be consistent with that plan. The county engineer also reviewed this application and does recommend granting of the franchise. There was a public hearing held at the Economic and Infrastructure, I'm sorry, no, it was held at the Rules Committee on June 1st. There was a public hearing held on this proposal. And this proposal was forwarded by the Rules Committee on June 1st with a due pass recommendation. All application fees have been paid and are accounted for. And with that, Mr. Chair, we do have council staff and we have Mr. Oniski from Planning and Public Works on this.

All right, Council Member Denson, would you like to speak a little bit on your motion?

I would just like to thank the Council for considering this proposal. This will be of great assistance to the residents of this water system, and I want to thank the department for their diligence in looking through the application and making sure that this fits with our water utilities. So I recommend approval. Thank you.

Thank you. With that, any other questions or comments from Council Members? All right, seeing none, I'd like to, or anything, any remarks from PPW? Okay, all right, at this time, I'd like to invite members of the public to comment on proposal number 02026-517. Please state your name, if you'd like it to be on the record, and keep remarks to three minutes, and direct all comments to the chair. I will start with anybody in chambers, and I don't see anybody in chambers. And Mr. Dominique, anybody online?

For any member of the public that would like to provide comment on proposal number O-2026-517, please press the raise hand icon in Zoom or star nine on your telephone keypad.

But no answer this time, Chair. In no more hands, and nobody in the Council Chamber to speak on this, and so we'll close public comment and open it up for any final comments from Council members. No other comments, so the motion before us is proposal number 02026-517. Clerk, please call the roll.

Council Member Ayala? Aye. Council Member Yambe?

Aye.

Council Member Denson? Aye. Council Member Morrell?

Aye.

Council Member Herrera?

Aye.

Council Member Krueger? Aye. Council Member Hitchen? Seven says aye. You have seven ayes, zero nays.

Seven ayes, zero nays. The motion passes. All right. Moving right along, we now have proposal number 02026-518 before us. Council Member Denson for a motion.

Thank you, Chair. I move for approval proposal number O2026-518. We have a motion and a second.

Clerk, could you please read the title on the record?

Proposal number O2026-518, an ordinance of the Pierce County Council granting a non-exclusive franchise to Tanner Electric Cooperative for location of electric lines on county-owned rights-of-way and authorizing the county executive to execute said franchise.

Okay, we have Mr. Swanson, principal polling analyst to brief the council on this proposal.

Thank you again, Chair Herrera. Yeah, the next proposal before the council authorizes the executive again to authorize a 15 year franchise agreement, this time with the Tanner Electric Cooperative. This allows for the construction operation maintenance of a power wire line system in the county's right of way. uh the tanner electric cooperative operates a power utility in an unincorporated portion of district six serving the residents businesses and guests of anderson island the county engineer again has reviewed this application does recommend granting the franchise Again, the Rules Committee held a public hearing on this proposal on June 1st and did forward it with a due pass recommendation. The $2,500 application fee has been paid and is accounted for. And with that, we do have, again, council staff and planning public works staff available on the call to answer any members' questions.

Thank you for that detailed information. Council Member Hitchin, do you want to maybe talk a little bit about this?

I will try. Thank you, everybody. I will just add that it's, as far as I know, the only way we get power out on Anderson Island unless you are self-sufficient. And so, really, this is both necessary and they do a really nice job of working with the community as they are doing projects and even showing up in spaces like the Anderson Island Citizens Advisory Board. would ask for support on this. Thank you to the staff for getting it through the system and getting it to us.

All right. Any other questions from council members? Council Member Morrell.

Thank you, Mr. Chair. Mr. Swanson, how does Anderson Island get their power?

just curious i will ask uh i'll afford that to uh mr oniski i'm not sure that with the actual exact what their um general source is uh what their base source of their power is um for the uh tanner cooperative mr oniski you got an answer for us and not answer that um we just allow them to put their utilities in our rights of way and that's what our franchise agreement is

Okay, I was just kind of curious if it was Tanner's line. It's got to be an underwater line that goes over there. I'm just kind of curious to see who owns that line. And then my other question is, when we do these franchise agreements, we don't mandate that they put everything in the ground, do we? We do not.

So they could still be using telephone poles? A Powerline franchise operates essentially the same as the other franchises. It's the same chapter of code. And again, that language does specify above, below. It covers all the right-of-way, especially on a Powerline side. They can be in the right-of-way above ground or below ground. All of that actual work that gets permitted at the time isn't necessarily covered in the franchise. The franchise just references the manual on accommodating utilities in the right-of-way, and specifics of those specific permit requests for actual work are covered under that manual. The franchise just obligates the utility to follow the manual.

Okay. Thank you for attempting to answer my question.

Okay, thank you for the questions. Any other questions from council members?

Chair, if I may, I can.

Okay.

So, my understanding is that it is, it comes from the mainland, but from the, um, key peninsula side, um, Tanner electric, I believe actually provides services on the key peninsula as well. Um. Petron Island receives power from TPU, I believe, and that is an underwater cable coming from the silicon side. So we're, we're. Coming from both sides, 2 different agencies and 2 different. Sides of the county there.

Thank you.

All right. Question answered. Awesome. Okay. Any other questions from council members? All right. At this time, I would like to invite members of the public to provide public comment on proposal number 02026-518. Come to the podium and please state your name if you want on the record and keep remarks to three minutes and direct all comments to the chair. And I'll start with anybody in chambers. Nobody's here in chambers today and we'll check on Zoom. Mr. Dominique.

For any member of the public that would like to provide comment on proposal number O2026-518, please press the raise hand icon in Zoom or star nine on your telephone keypad.

There are no answers this time, Chair. Thank you. No hands. So we'll close public comment and bring it back to the council. Any final comments or on this proposal from council members. All right. Okay, the motion for us is adopting proposal number 2026-518. Clerk, please call the roll.

Council Member Krueger. Aye. Council Member Ayala. Aye. Council Member Yambe.

Aye.

Council Member Denson.

Aye.

Council Member Morrell.

Aye.

Council Member Herrera.

Aye.

Council Member Hitchen. Aye. And so it's aye. We have seven ayes, zero nays.

Seven ayes, zero nays, and the motion passes. All right, with item number 10, which is community forum, and community forum is an opportunity for the members of the public to address the council on any topic that is significant to or affecting Pierce County government. and that didn't appear for final action on today's agenda. There's a three-minute limit and we'll remind everybody that in accordance to state law, RCW 29B-45-010, Pierce County Council prohibits any testimony regarding to any campaign for election or promotion of or opposition to any ballot proposition during public comment. So please state your name if you'd like it on the record and address all comments to the chair, and I'll start with the people in chambers, which there isn't any. With that, Mr. Dominique, you ready to check people on Zoom?

Yes, Chair. For any member of the public that would like to provide a comment to the Council for Community Forum, please press the raise hand icon and zoom or star nine on your telephone keypad. We have two hands at this time, Chair. All right. First is Angelyn. Please state your name for the record, and you have three minutes.

Good afternoon, Council Members. My name is Angelina Izquierdo from Pierce County District 2. I am a supporter of the upcoming 250th year Puyallup celebration, this Independence Day. I'm asking for you all to show support for the Puyallup City Council 250 year anniversary proclamation honoring the American flag installation and remembrance of our veterans and unifying a city's residences with an honor This evening at 6.30 p.m. at the City Hall, I remember seeing Vice Chair and Council Member Paul Herrera a couple of times with the comment of supporting our current and deceased veterans and military support asking and also for safety. And with all the controversy going on with the flag currently, I would like to reflect on the symbolism of what it stands for and how it is used in different areas. There's more to the stars and stripes than what meets the eye. Well, the flag symbolizes unity, unifying capabilities and cases for people doing certain types of work, like politics or protesting, and also shows a sign of respect when a pledge of allegiance is requested before an event takes place. Like a cross, it can represent safety, like when I was a young girl placed at the base laying down underneath it. However, it can seem false leading with how others misuse a flag to where it has been at gathering grounds for wrongdoers in the middle of the night to do the unspeakable to a victim who was there. It can also be aggravating to see a unifying symbol when dirty cops have kidnapped my brother so many times for multiple years, wrongfully incarcerating him, trying to turn him into a statistic added to the prison pipeline as a result of human trafficking, and I've gone away with it. And by the way, that was at another state. So I look to this flag with a newly found vote since justice started getting carried out. and not facing mine stunted, wishing for those occurrences to never happen again to him or even to me in any way. It is necessary to have it as a reminder that injustices have consequences and life can be transformed. And I'd like to compliment council as to what I have seen since I've been attending since February of last year of 2020. You all worked so hard with each thing you're doing. I have seen so many improvements going down the line with each coming agenda that comes forth every week. I'm very proud of you all. And I would like again to ask for your support in this proclamation as well, whether you can view it tonight or even show up in person to Puyallup City Hall, that would be fantastic. I'll be going there too as well. I hope to see you there. Thank you very much.

Thank you, Ms. Izquierdo. Anybody else?

Next, we have HP. Please state your name for the record, and you have three minutes.

Carrie Hurd. Can't correct that HP. I don't know where it came from. Anyway, what I wanted to talk to you about was I realized the Growth Management Act wasn't a popular requirement for Pierce County. But I bring up the fact that the saying goes, there wasn't enough money to do it right the first time, but there's also enough money to do it the second time. and i'm bringing this because the sewer department has been exempt from following the requirements for curbs gutters sidewalks and other urban level developments The road in front of and going down 38th Ave between 176 and Clover Creek Elementary, you put a sewer down it and because of the exemption, they only have to put back what was already there. So the same puddles that run across the road. Run across the road again and those puddles. I mean they go all the way across the road. That's how bad it was. It was not a good design put in. And since it's been put in, I'm watching the road being eroded away and broken because people also don't have a place to park when they go to pick up their kids, one of them. I wish you'd address this exemption. The spirit of the Growth Management Act was to prepare this area for the urban level development that's required for cityhood, not kicking the can down the road each time you do something. One of the other odd questions I had when I was listening to this is when you say you got a due pass resolution or whatever it is from the previous, do you ever say the number of people that voted for or against it? It's just an odd question that I had because all things that we have don't necessarily have a unanimous consent. But thank you. I realize you guys got a thankless job, and I'm bringing up a subject that most of you were not on the seats you're currently sitting in when I started working on the Growth Management Act and the Fredrickson Land Use Advisory Commission and a number of other places where there are issues that Because Pierce County didn't want the Growth Management Act to put together their own plan and disregarded or circumvented the plans of the community, it leaves us a little disheartened. Thank you for your time.

All right, thank you.

Okay. No more hands, Chair.

All right. If there's no more hands, I will close the community forum. Item number 11, is there any other business or announcements from council members? No? Anybody online? No? Okay. Any from staff or any updates? Okay. With no further business, we're adjourned. Thank you.