Remarks by Susan Walton
124 remarks on the record, newest first · Page 5 of 5
- Play at 20:05
“And one last quick one. What is other non-departmental? Because it's almost $200,000. What would that be that we're paying for non-departmental?”
City Council · Aug 12, 2026
- Play at 20:16
“Hang on. Just a couple. I didn't have to have a list itemized, but... I can tell you those.”
City Council · Aug 12, 2026
- Play at 27:08
“I'm sorry I have so many questions, but I just, this is the way my brain works, and I have highlights and questions over. So if I'm looking again at page three, am I reading this correctly, where we have police, I'm just giving an estimate, like 4.3 million, and the current last column is 3.7 million. So that went down. Is that correct how I'm reading that? Or, okay, is that the projected? And then it looks like the police went down. up a little bit, is that correct? From 3.5 to 3.7, is that correct?”
City Council · Aug 12, 2026
- Play at 27:45
“Yeah, fire. How do you, how is it that we have a group and the payout for salary is going down in a time where I know we're doing six bargaining units in Puyallup and I guarantee you no one's going down.”
City Council · Aug 12, 2026
- Play at 28:34
“Okay, and kind of echoing what Mike was saying. So we're into two years without a police contract and 2025, the end of 2025 was fire. So we're about half a year with that. and i know from bargaining and education things it's retroactive so when we do get that contract we go back and make those adjustments i'm just curious i think i think it's gonna be crushing i'm sorry but i just a two-year contract two years back is i don't even it makes me nervous makes my palms sweat um because all of this is other people's money it's our taxpayer money so with that can't we possibly get some estimate of…”
City Council · Aug 12, 2026
- Play at 40:09
“Yeah, and maybe it's on another one. I tried looking at the broad picture, the 10,000-foot view, the 100,000. But I had just a question when we talk about mayor, council, executive, legal, fire, police, engineering, et cetera. the next two pages. What exactly are services? Because some of them are as high as $176,000. Some are 101. I think one was, oh, this one in fire is 339. The one for police is 924. They're pretty substantial amounts. I did add them up and get a grand total. And again, not an itemized list, but that's a lot of money for something called services. And so I'm just curious…”
City Council · Aug 12, 2026
- Play at 41:30
“But you're saying insurance would be the biggest chunk for all of the different departments, irregardless of what they do.”
City Council · Aug 12, 2026
- Play at 42:02
“Yeah. And what police was 924. So I'm thinking, you know, if it's insurance, that's a big discrepancy of like $600,000. But are there? Can there be a discrepancy based on number of people or, um, or job?”
City Council · Aug 12, 2026
- Play at 43:06
“That would be great. And last question on page five, what are central services? Everything else was pretty self explanatory, accounting, legal, etc. What are central services? What would that entail?”
City Council · Aug 12, 2026
- Play at 43:26
“Okay. I didn't know that. Thank you. So IT is kind of central services.”
City Council · Aug 12, 2026
- Play at 49:23
“Oh, no. Go ahead. Go ahead and finish, Tara. And then I do. Thank you, Ron.”
City Council · Aug 12, 2026
- Play at 49:31
“So it's already two years behind. Correct. So the cost. So a million.”
City Council · Aug 12, 2026
- Play at 50:02
“And Tara, what number from page eight would that come out of? I'm sorry, I was trying to circle and now I don't know what I circled. From page eight, like let's say 700,000.”
City Council · Aug 12, 2026
- Play at 55:36
“Thank you, Jewel, because I went back to that one too. I know there are positions that we are going to need to fill in city's role, city government. Have those estimated salaries been put into this when a finance director, whatever it is, are they reflected in the budget as well? Because that will also be more money going out. Does that make sense?”
City Council · Aug 12, 2026
- Play at 1:00:42
“um we're skipping ahead on this the page 13 street depreciation um 43 824 actual through june 26 is is that what we have left to work on our streets Because in 21, I mean, I know variations depending on when projects start and end and all of that, but $43,000, where are we on the whole street improvements too? Because I know that's a big thing as well. How does that factor in? That's”
City Council · Aug 12, 2026
- Play at 1:12:03
“Yes, if we could go back to the page 22 stormwater utility, just correct me, is that also money that we can use for sidewalks? Did we talk about that? Is that also a fund we can draw from for the sidewalk improvements?”
City Council · Aug 12, 2026
- Play at 1:12:23
“Well, they're not here, unfortunately. Yeah. Yeah.”
City Council · Aug 12, 2026
- Play at 1:12:32
“Okay. And I, I do want to echo, um, Shauna statement. I think moving forward, we do budgets. It would be nice to have, um, the heads of those departments just so that question for instance, could be answered today and not two weeks later. So if we could kind of note that moving forward, I think it just would like expedite things for all of us. So, okay. So that is something that, that we will talk to at the next council meeting to put on the agenda. Correct.”
City Council · Aug 12, 2026
- Play at 1:13:03
“And it'll involve this fund possibly being used for that. well this fund and maybe other funds we have a number i just want to be really specific because my question is can we use stormwater utility fund for sidewalks and you said oh you know a little gray area got to be careful so i just want that question to be posed and answered at the next council meeting so i'm not pushing it again for another two weeks so thanks council member at the court”
City Council · Aug 12, 2026
- Play at 1:23:42
“Yes, and I don't know if this is a question answered within this, and if I step out of bounds, someone please tell me, but I think it goes without saying that we're all concerned about the status of our negotiations with fire and police, particularly from a financial standpoint and all the other pieces that come with that. I believe some of us had requested that we meet and I don't know, do you call it executive session for those kinds of situations? Not to talk about contracts, that's not our role, but we do as council approve contracts. And this is getting, in my personal opinion, we're in…”
City Council · Aug 12, 2026
- Play at 45:01
“Hey, super excited, Keith. You mentioned Santa cans coming down, things like that. Will there be easy access to garbage cans? I imagine people, given that 12 to 6 will bring, I mean, I go down, I was just down a few days ago, there's just, people are not always very respectful. And when you have that many people, how do you foresee being able to have easy access for people to pick up?”
City Council · Jul 29, 2026
- Play at 46:10
“I'd say most on the beach areas where most that would be then. And so the garbage will be picked up, spread out fairly often during that whole event.”
City Council · Jul 29, 2026
- Play at 46:43
“And last question, you said arrival, it's hard to do when your canoes 12 to six, is there any way that the city could put out an estimated arrival of 3pm? I mean, if people I mean, the whole point is to see the canoes arrived, you know, if there's any way to connect with the tribe, and let's say they're in still like they're an hour and a half away. I don't know how to do that, but I really don't want people to go at noon and then you've got kids and you know, you miss the whole event. Is there any way to maybe make that a little bit more efficient with like a city message sent out?”
City Council · Jul 29, 2026
- Play at 52:35
“Yeah, two things really quickly. I really appreciate the information that's been coming out from the city, particularly around the arrival of the canoe journey. It's been very detailed, very specific information about what's happening on the trail. So all of you collectively from the city that have been doing that, thank you. I read it as someone who pretends I don't know. And it's just been really well done. And it's just been a consistent message. So thank you for that. It's been very, very clear. And then lastly, I had a chance to go to a soft opening, Rob and Christina Jones, South Sound…”
City Council · Jul 29, 2026