Board of Supervisors - Regular Meeting

Good afternoon. I'd like to call to order. The Pierce County Council today is July 7th, 2026. The time is 3.01 p.m. If the clerk could please call the roll. Councilmember Morrell. Excuse, but we've all seen him, so we'll come back to him.

Councilmember Herrera.

Here.

Councilmember Kruver. Here. she needs to be promoted so we'll okay come back to her as well councilmember aiella here councilmember yambe here councilmember denson here councilmember krueger she was there there she is there we go councilmember morrell i don't know has anybody seen councilmember morale

Councilmember Hitchen. I am here. You have six members present. Okay. It's like study session. We need to say his name three times and he appears. So with that, we do have a quorum and we are expecting Councilmember Morrell. And so thank you all for joining us. We are going to start with our Pledge of Allegiance in a moment. Councilmember Ayala will lead us in that. Following our Pledge of Allegiance, she will pause for a moment of silence in honor of the men and women serving overseas, and then we will read a land acknowledgement. So for those that can stand, please stand for a Pledge of Allegiance followed by a moment of silence.

with liberty and justice for all.

We acknowledge that we are on the traditional homelands of the Coast Salish tribes. Coast Salish people have lived on and stewarded these lands since time immemorial and continue to do so today. We recognize that this land acknowledgement is one small step toward true allyship, and we commit to uplifting the voices, experiences, and histories of the indigenous people of this land.

Thank you, Council Member Ayala. And Council Member Morrell has now joined us for the record. We are now at Section 4, which is approval of our agenda. Is there any objection to our agenda as presented this afternoon? Seeing none, we will consider today's agenda approved. On today's council agenda, there'll be multiple opportunities for public comment. On the consent agenda, you may provide comment on any final action item, and this does not include items that are on there for scheduling or introduction. Then during sections eight and nine of the agenda, we'll take public comment on each ordinance and resolution individually. And finally, under community forum, there'll be an opportunity to address the council on any topic that was not up for final action this afternoon. Pursuant to state law, the Pierce County Council may not accept public comment during this meeting that supports or opposes a candidate or ballot measure. This includes proposed charter amendments, statewide initiatives, referendums, levies, bonds, and other measures appearing on the election ballot, and it is pursuant to an RCW. If you have questions, you can ask any of our staff or read the fine print at the bottom of the agenda. We are now at the consent agenda. Our consent agenda has one set of minutes and four appointment resolutions. I'm going to pause and see if anyone has any objections to the consent agenda as presented. Not seeing anyone. Vice Chair, for a motion.

Chair, I move to approve the consent agenda as presented. Second.

It's been moved and seconded that we approve a consent agenda. I'm going to pause and just make sure is Lysana Anderson, who's being appointed to the Planning Commission. And if you're on Zoom, raise your hand. Amy Wilburn, who is being appointed to the Anderson Island Citizens Advisory Board. Ed Larson, Greg Cooper, or Melvin Olson, who are continuing their work on the Spanaway Citizens Commission. Nope. Spanaway Lake Management District Citizen Advisory Board and Wendy Wright. I see one hand raised. Mel Olson. Can we promote him in case he'd like to introduce himself?

And Ms. Anderson is in the audience.

Oh. Well, Ms. Anderson, would you like to come to the podium and we'll start with you and then we'll call on Mel since I said your item first and I probably said your name wrong. So if you'd like to introduce yourself.

Is this on? Are we lucky? You are. There we are. Okay. My name is Lisana Anderson. Lisana Anderson. And I'm, to introduce myself, I'm new to the area, relatively moved up here about two years ago. But I have been coming here since I was a child. My grandparents lived on Hood County Island, so this has been my other home. Then I had the opportunity and the privilege to move up to home on the Key Peninsula. And when Robin asked me if I'd be willing to serve I really thought about it. I have a lot of experience. My career was in science, doing climate change science, but I also ranched for 10 years, raised registered black angus cattle. I was a wilderness guide for many years. So my understanding of the environment and the impact on it is profound, but I also understand the need to utilize it. So I'm looking forward for the opportunity to really learn how things work and to contribute to the best of my ability.

So thank you. I'm gonna see if, I'm gonna assume Council Member Denson has some comments.

Thank you. Ms. Anderson, thank you so much for- It's Dr. Anderson. Dr. Anderson. Thank you. Thank you, Dr. Anderson. Thank you so much for applying. This is a very important board that we have here in Pierce County. We've got lots of boards and commissions. They're all very important, but this is one as the chair of community development environment that I look at a lot and we carefully consider their recommendations. They spend a lot of time reviewing our land use proposals. They bring ideas to us and And District 7, I think all of the districts have their uniqueness, but I think District 7 for me is particularly complicated because we've got urban portions, we've got suburban, we've got urban county areas, very rural areas. We have lots of ag land as well as commercial land. So there's a lot of interests to balance and your background in agriculture in regards to your ranching operation I thought was particularly advantageous for us to have on this planning commission. as well as your longstanding familial ties to the area. I know when we've talked, you've mentioned that you've had family involved, not only in agriculture, but in forestry. And you've talked about your interest in affordable housing as well, and balancing the need for housing throughout Pierce County, and we certainly need it throughout Pierce County. So all of that combined with your work with the United States Geological Survey, It's just going to be really, really valuable input. And then, of course, you came to my attention because of your interest in the community and your work on land use discussions and your work on looking at properties that could be used for the benefit of the Key Peninsula in particular. But getting right involved and getting involved, getting to know the community so well, so quickly, and really contributing in a substantial way. made me very confident that you would be an excellent choice. So thank you so much for agreeing to serve, and I look forward to your analysis of issues and your experience working with the other colleagues on this commission. Thank you.

Thank you, Council Member Denson. Thank you, Dr. Anderson, for saying yes to volunteer for something, and we're going to go to Council Member Murrell first.

I'm not sure. Thank you, Madam Chair. Good afternoon, Doctor.

Good afternoon.

Well, based on your background, I would love to have the opportunity to sit on your porch, maybe have an adult beverage, maybe not, and just listen to the stories that you have. And that would be interesting conversation because having the opportunity historical mix of what you have lived in your life experiences. It's very unique and I wish you all the best and don't get too frustrated with things. You will find out that besides Pierce County, There's this thing called the Puget Sound Regional Council that controls a lot of the growth issues in our area, mainly within the suburban and the urban areas, but it affects the rural areas as far as building goes and zoning and things like that that'll be interesting. And the big thing right now is affordability. You know, we've got to strike a balance somewhere because if not, my grandkids will not be able to afford to live here, at least buy their own home and live here. So I look forward to seeing how you... parse that and your ability to navigate that. But I think you would be an interesting soul to sit down with and just have a conversation. Thank you, Madam Chair.

Thank you for your comments. I think now you can go sit down. No one else has their lights up, but thank you so much. Thank you. Next, Mr. Olsen, who said yes to serving again on the Spanaway Lake Management District Citizen Advisory Board, though I think most of us know you. If you'd like to turn on your camera and say hello, we'd love to hear from you. And it is not required. Mel Olson. Can you hear me now? Now we can. There we go.

Okay. I don't have a camera on this computer, so I'll just have a look at my ugly name. Thank you. I appreciate the... It was a hard decision to rejoin the Lake Management District Citizens Advisory Board. But in talking to the residents around the lake as part of the renewal process, I came to realize that very few of them actually knew what we were doing or why we were doing it. And so although it's probably no from practice discussions, I am a specialist engineer in the water systems. I hope to focus this upcoming year on trying to improve the communications between the CAB and the stakeholders around the lake. I sent a recent email to the county executive and received a very disappointing reply from him on how we might be able to do that. I have forwarded a copy of that to Councilwoman Kruver. But presuming that we survive as an LMD, I'm hoping that we'll be able to get the stakeholders far more involved than they have been in the past.

Well, Mr. Olson, I will just say thank you. I want to see if Councilmember Kruver has anything. I do.

There you go. Thank you. And I just want to say how much I appreciate Mr. Olson stepping up again. He has a long history at the lake, and we've known each other for a long time. And it has gone by way too quickly. And so I very much appreciate all the hard work that you have done and will be doing and the perspective that you bring in the different arenas of science with this. So I, again, am very grateful that you chose to step up again. We've got another—was it—oh. 2 and a half for me, so 4 for you, I think and. Anyway, I look forward to the time ahead and again, thank you so much for for stepping up and a lot of people don't want to get involved and you're appreciated. Thank you. Madam chair.

And I want to thank the county council for putting up with my tribes at previous meetings, but I feel strongly about the lake environment here and across the state for that matter. Have a good day.

Well, thank you for saying yes. We do have a formal process we've got to do to wrap this up. First is public comment. So if anyone would like to address the council on the consent agenda. So again, these are the four appointment resolutions and a set of minutes. You have up to three minutes. Anyone in chambers here to talk to us about the consent agenda? Pretty sure I know the answer. Okay, we're going to go online, Mr. Dominique.

For any member of the public that would like to provide a comment on today's consent agenda, please press the raise hand icon in Zoom or star 9 on your telephone keypad. There are no hands at this time, Madam Chair.

With no hands raised, I'm going to close public comment, bring it back before the council. Any further discussion? Seeing no hands raised, I'm going to ask the clerk to call the roll on the approval of the consent agenda.

Council Member Denson? Aye. Council Member Morrell?

Aye.

Council Member Herrera?

Aye.

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

Aye.

Council Member Hitchen? Aye. You have seven ayes, zero nays.

With seven ayes and zero nays, the motion is adopted. Thank you to all that said yes to serving on boards and commissions and for getting the minutes done. We have no messages from the executive or other So I'm going to move right to proclamations. Our proclamation, we have two today. So our first proclamation today is honoring our hardworking Pierce County Charter Review Commission. So today, July 7th, 2026 is officially in Pierce County. After we read this Pierce County Charter Review Commissioner Day. It's a thing. We're saying it's a thing. So congratulations. And I'd like to welcome former chair. So I guess she was the chair. She's not the chair anymore, but Chair Kelsey Burns and Vice Chair Martha Lance and then any other members of the commission that would like to, but we're going to have the two who are going to formally accept, but the rest of you are welcome to join. And then Council Member Denson is going to read it into the record.

Thank you, Chair, and you all deserve this and so much more for all of your work. A proclamation of the Pierce County Council and Executive proclaiming Tuesday, July 7th, 2026 as Pierce County Charter Review Commissioner Day in Pierce County, Washington. Whereas the Pierce County Charter provides that every 10 years the voters of Pierce County shall elect a charter review commission consisting of 21 members, three from each of the seven council districts, for the purpose of reviewing the charter and recommending amendments for voters to consider. And whereas the Pierce County Council adopted resolution number R 2025-101 on February 18, 2025, calling for the election of a 21-member charter review commission during the 2025 primary and general elections pursuant to Article 8 of the Pierce County Charter. And whereas on November 4th, 2025, the voters of Pierce County elected the following 21 residents to serve on the 2026 Charter Review Commission. District 1, Kelsey Behrens. Am I saying that right? Behrens. Sharon Haneck and Jerome O'Leary. District 2, Billy Joe Hetherington, Brenda Malewski and Elizabeth Herrera. District 3, Judson Willis, Caleb Heimlich, and Holly Rogge. District 4, Kate Ginn, Devin Rydell-Kelly, Jake Hunter. District 5, Mason D. Fletcher, Troy Sarod, and Jen Marie Strickland, Strickling, sorry. District 6, George Consuelo, Lisa T. Boyd, and Lujana Roher. Roher? Roher. LJ, thank you for that. District 7, Justin Layton, Brenda Likens, and Martha Lance. Whereas the members of the commission accepted this charge as elected representatives of their fellow residents, serving without compensation and devoting substantial personal time over a period of six months to the careful study of the charter. And whereas the Commission spent over 90 hours in official meetings over a six-month period reviewing 57 individual amendment proposals and later in the process considering 20 charter amendment proposals for placement on the 2026 general election ballot. And whereas on June 29th, 2026, the commission concluded its work and transmitted seven amendment proposals to the Pierce County auditor for placement on the ballot. And whereas the periodic review of the Pierce County charter by elected members from throughout Pierce County ensures that the county's foundational governing document remains accountable to the public and flexible to change. Now, therefore, be it proclaimed on this 7th day of July, 2026 by the Pierce County Council and Executive that Tuesday, July 7th, 2026 is Pierce County Charter Review Commissioner Day in Pierce County, Washington. The Pierce County Council and Executive thank the members of the 2026 Charter Review Commission for their service to the community members of Pierce County and Pierce County government.

Let's give them all a hand.

It's on and it's very flexible wonderful because I know sometimes we can get in trouble if we grab We spent a lot of time together So thank you chair Hitchens and council members for the recognition of the work of this commission We deeply appreciate it and appreciate the opportunity to serve our entire County and all of our respective districts. I was asked by a Person who actually lives in a different County. Why why is there this charter review and my response to them was that it is about having a Citizens participate in government be able to actually have a say in what our governing documents look like and the ability for that document to be nimble to respond to what the needs are of the county at this point and I think that is such an incredible way for folks to engage in government to engage in the process of creating a government that truly represents us all so I feel very honored to be a part of this process and honored to have met all the amazing 20 other folks that we got to spend 90 hours a week working with. And it's just honestly been a phenomenal experience and I appreciate you all having us here today to talk about some of it. I also want to send out so much thanks to the staff who spent that 90 hours with us and more. I don't know. Martha, if we can even count the number of hours that staff had to spend with us outside of meetings, planning, preparing and getting everything ready to have those meetings happen every single week. So I just can't say enough about how amazing the staff were and all of the work that they did to frankly make this process happen. So I know some of them are in the room today, but also not here. So I just deeply appreciate all of their work.

if there's anything you'd like to say i i don't have anything in particular to add other than this thank you for this honor it's been um an experience these last months and as i i did comment to um commissioner her former commissioner herrera and rogie that um There was, all 21 of us participated. There was not one member who didn't bring passion and thoughtfulness and hard work to this process. We didn't always agree, but I am, just thankful and so appreciative of everybody bringing their full selves to this work and we did it.

Well, thank you all. We are again going to take a picture. I'm going to see if any of my colleagues have comments. We will start with Vice Chair Herrera.

I'll start it off, but I just want to say thank you to the Commission. We just got done celebrating 250 years of this country, and although that's comparatively very young compared to other countries across the world, it's Our former government, a democratic republic, it's the longest standing government when it comes to that style of government, of self-governance. And the Charter Review and county government is that intricate tissue that keeps this country together. And it starts with the Charter Review, the democratic way of finding answers of what's best for the county. And it's not just one person or seven people making that command decision, it's a separate you guys out there, boots on the ground and finding out what's right and then get in and asking the voters for that. Nobody else really does that across the world. And that's what makes this country very special. We just got done celebrating that here this last week in many different ways. And we appreciate that. But you guys are a great example of the American way. So thank you.

Thank you for your comments. Council Member Krueger.

Thank you, Madam Chair. I just wanted to say it's kind of bittersweet in thinking how much the time just clicks on by. And Councilmember Morrell having been on the Charter, well, that would be 20 years. And I was there 10 years ago, and then to watch it again now, it's kind of surreal, bittersweet, and understanding how much work goes into it. And I will say it was far more detailed this time. I sat through several meetings in the beginning and then things caught up here at the office, but it was very intriguing, it was fun to watch, and I still even learned things. on the operation of cooperation and listening to reasoning and how things transpired throughout the meetings. And I will say it was a lot more work this time. And we got our money's worth out of you, I'll say for sure. So I just want to say thank you again for so much of your time. And I guess it's kind of scary to think how 10 years is going to go by so quickly again, because you're thinking that the last two have gone by so fast. So anyway, I guess I'll look forward to many of you again in 10 years, and we'll see how it plays out then. And thank you for the time. It was... It was very much a very superb exercise in governance. So thank you. Thank you, Chair.

Councilmember Krueger, when you said that, I know you couldn't see the room, but several of the Charterbury commissioners were shaking their head no. So just to flag that.

We are going to go to Councilmember Ayala.

Thank you, Chair. Clearly a million thank yous to every single one of you. I do want to echo the 90 hours is not just the 90 hours. It's for any member of the public. I know you all know this. There is a lot of homework time, prep time, time away from your families, time that needs to be negotiated between your other activities. I know many of you are involved in community in some very deep and meaningful ways. and you gave to this commission in the spirit of shaping local government and so there is a degree of sacrifice here and by volunteering in the space one not only gives of time but gives of so many other things and so want to make sure that it is acknowledged what that means in terms of everything else that you have going on in your life Also, I know this day is your day, but I'm sure you were supported by other folks in the space, so I just want to say a little thank you to every person that supported you to be here to show up, for you to show up here over the last six months. And hopefully folks get a little bit of breathing room now on forward.

Thank you, Chair. Thank you. We are going to go to Councilmember Yambe.

Thank you, Madam Chair. I just wanted to thank every member of the 21-member commission for their time, the energy, and the perseverance through this incredibly rollercoaster-like process that we have here and appreciate no matter which direction of the political spectrum you're on. At the end of the day, I want to thank you all for your service and your commitment to making our community better. We understand up here a little bit about intense public testimony, and you all handle it very well, and you didn't let things get out of hand. And so we tremendously appreciate your volunteering and taking a part. And as my colleague said, the 250-year American experiment in proving that while, yes, it is intense and while we might differ, that when we put out ideas and we battle over them, that the system works. So I appreciate all of you and your service.

Thank you. And I will just conclude with gratitude. I said a few comments in the little reception we had. Thank you for sacrificing your time. Your time is precious, and you gave to the county and our residents by spending thoughtful conversations with each other to deliberate and make some hard decisions. And I know everybody walked away from it both happy about some of the stuff and unhappy about all the stuff, but you kept showing up. So thank you. So we are going to take a photo and we didn't actually talk about how we're doing this because there are 21 of them, Mr. Daugherty. In the front. So we're all coming down? We're all coming down. Okay. Okay, so to our charter review commissioners and community members and family that were here to support them, we're going to move on to our next item. You're welcome to hang out and listen to us celebrate parks because they do great things across the county. But you are also welcome to head out. And thank you again for all of your time. We truly do appreciate you and your sacrifice to making this happen. Okay, our next item is a proclamation of the Council and Executive designating July as Parks and Recreation Month in Pierce County. And I'd like to welcome Parks Director Travis Buell and his team, whoever's coming with him, to the podium. And I'm gonna read this into the record. And you just saw how this works. So I read, then there's comments, and then we talk, and then we take a picture. So teaser, that's what's gonna happen again. So... Proclamation of the Pierce County Council and Executive designating July 2026 as Parks and Recreation Appreciation Month in Pierce County, Washington. Whereas parks and recreation are an integral part of communities including Pierce County, Washington, and promote health and wellness, improving the physical and mental health of people who live near parks, and spending time in nature positively impacts mental health by alleviating illnesses such as depression, attention deficit disorder, and may reduce Alzheimer's disease according to the observations of peer-reviewed studies. And whereas parks and recreation programming and education activities such as out-of-schools programming, youth sports, and environmental education are critical to childhood development and increase the community's economic prosperity through increased property values, expansion of local tax base, increased tourism, the attraction and retention of businesses, and crime reduction. And whereas our local parks and natural recreation areas ensure the ecological beauty of our community and provide a place for children and adults to connect with nature and recreate outdoors. And whereas the Pierce County Parks and Recreation Department manages over 30 parks, 50 miles of trails, and 5,500 acres of open space, and runs recreation programs for all ages, with a system that includes comprehensive sports complex, an ice rink, dog parks, a skate park, and most recently, the track at Tahale, providing a mountain bike trail for riders. And whereas the department offers recreation programs for all ages, including sports leagues, camps, specialized recreation for people with disabilities, and a scholarship program for those who need financial assistance to participate. And whereas the U.S. House of Representatives officially mandated July as National Park and Recreation Month via House Resolution No. 288 in 2009, and the National Recreation and Park Association, or NRPA, has designated this year's theme as the power of, highlighting the power of parks and recreation and the people who make it possible. Now, therefore, be it proclaimed that on the seventh day of July, 2026, by the Pierce County Council and Executive, that July 2026 is Parks and Recreation Appreciation Month in Pierce County, Washington, and community members are encouraged to get out and play, recreate, and enjoy the great many city, county, and state parks that exist in Pierce County. Thank you for being here. Let's give them a hand.

Director Buehler. So thank you, Chair Hitchin. Thank council members for the proclamation of July being Parks and Rec month here in Pierce County. And especially for your support and continued efforts around what we do. So thank you for that. For me, Parks and Rec... It's really about the people. It's about the people that come to our parks, to our programs. It's where connections are made, belonging becomes, kids grow and learn, neighbors connect. So it's really, really important that we continue to do this great work. As you know, Parks and Rec staff are often in the background, no different than today. But they are very much in need and important to the work we do. Slowing down in July is one opportunity for us to appreciate them, the staff and the people that come to our parks. Because as you know, when a program happens, we're already six months down the road planning another program. Or a park opens, we're already down the road doing another program. another park. So today I'm incredibly grateful to be able to stand here with our team, their dedication and creativity, their commitment to public service. They all helped make our parks and facilities and programs what they are today. I'm incredibly grateful for their leadership and they're proud to serve alongside them. So thank you guys for the proclamation. Thank you to our staff for doing the work. And as you see, part of our leadership team is here today and I'm excited to share that with them.

Thank you, Director Buell. I'm going to see if any of my colleagues have comments. We will start with Vice Chair Herrera.

Thank you, Chair. This is a fitting proclamation. It's good to talk about our parks. You know, I remember I wasn't born in Washington State. I was born in Los Angeles. I remember the kid living in the big city of wanting to go to the park because there was no other place to go. It was the park. Can we go to the park? Let's go to the park. And I went from Los Angeles to North Bend, Washington and lived on the river there and the whole The whole woods was a park, so never had to go to a park in that area because the whole area was a park. What's really important about Pierce County is that we have a lot of unincorporated areas that are city-like. versus other counties who are more incorporated where cities take care of parks. So we have a bigger responsibility because we have hundreds of thousands of people in high density areas that are unincorporated that makes our parks even more important. versus other counties. So I appreciate the work you're doing. We're looking to, I see the future since you've gone on here and it really seems a very proactive approach in what we're doing. And I really appreciate the park service and all the heavy work you have to do. Because the more parks we do, the more staff, the more lawns we need to mow. It's a big undertaking and I really appreciate the work you do. Thank you very much. Thank you.

thank you we're going to go to councilmember denson thank you chair and i completely concur with councilmember herrera's thoughts so i won't repeat those it is so so important especially as we densify certain populations in certain parts of our county it's so important for the health of our our community i did look into getting amy poehler who played leslie nope on parks and rec to do a a cameo thank you to our parks and rec department But her speaker fees are between $50,000 and $100,000. And our council budget's not that big, so I'm sure she would really appreciate all of you. Thanks for all of your work. But as you were speaking, and as Council Member Herrera was speaking, I was reflecting on when I first ran for Gig Harbor City Council. Former District 7 Council Member Terry Lee, who passed a few years ago, told me that his emphasis on parks and recs was always about the philosophy that an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure and how important it was to have recreational opportunities and places to play was for the future of our county and the future generations to come. So your work is just so, so important for reasons that we may not even recognize. right now, you don't know how you're impacting the lives of these youth and their parents with all of your good work. We have so many outstanding park facilities in Pierce County and I really enjoy letting folks in my district know about not only the trails and the fields but the skating rink and the climbing walls, the horse facilities I'm sure Council Member Krueger will talk about. There is just a wealth of opportunities and I really encourage the residents from my district and certainly everywhere to look into the opportunities to get outside and play either in a free form way Or through the many structured programs that we here at Pierce County provide. So thank you for your leadership. Thanks to your hardworking staff. You all are wonderful and we're very proud of our parks here in Pierce County. Thank you.

Thank you so much. Thank you. Council member Cooper. We're going to go to council member. Yeah. Council member Cooper going to you. That's what I was trying to say. Okay. Thank you.

I just want to say thank you for showing up. Mr. Beal. I. It means so much that when I call or I have constituent issues, you are there and you care. And you are out there at the park with my people that live out there and collaborate and discuss things that need to be done in the parks. And you get things done. And, you know, the heck that it's all healthy, it's fun. And it's the health that comes with it is just a byproduct that I don't think people, you know, think of that first. They think of... the experiences that they are having and the fun that they are having at the parks and we do have a great system and i i'm going to contribute a lot of that to you and your staff because they've always also been supportive when i've shown up and want to talk they're there and they're very involved which which which means a lot and so i i just wanted to take a few moments to say that and You know, parks didn't used to be important to me, and it's been a while since I had mentioned this, but it was years ago when a friend had said, you know, the county needs more parks. And at that time, I didn't have children, and I didn't realize that's where people go. They take them to create memories. So there's just a lot more to it than just being a space of land, and I just wanted to say those few words, and thank you so much for caring the way you do and for always being there. Thank you, Madam Chair.

Thank you. We're going to go to Councilmember Ayala.

Thank you, Chair. Appreciate it. Big thank you to parks for everything that you do. I think in times of stress, people often go outdoors to relieve themselves of anything that's happening physically, mentally, or whatnot, and parks play such a big, important role in that. I did want to highlight, as a former park commissioner, one of my key roles was to, wherever I went, to look at parks to see what is happening in other places that we don't have here locally. And so there is so many more things that we can be doing. I'm not trying to put something on people's plate today. But I do think within the world of parks, there's a lot that's possible. I want to highlight and first of all, appreciate Councilmember Denson mentioning one ounce prevention is worth a pound of cure because there are efforts to make parks Um, a prescription that a doctor can offer you in order to improve your health. Um, and so it's not widely popular, but there are pockets across the country that that do that and are really focusing on that. And so. that takes a lot and it takes a lot of coordination and it takes a lot of work with insurance providers and medical professionals and whatnot but we don't have to wait for that to happen for us to get out there and utilize our parks in a way that really can help improve our quality of life so just want to say thank you for being a catalyst for all of us to work on ourselves appreciate it thank you for the comments we're going to go to council member yambe

Thank you. Director Buell, I want to commend you and your entire team for being one of the most responsive and thoughtful groups of employees that I've come across. Our county is full of it and your team is emblematic of that. I know in District 5 we have people who have very strong opinions and particularly it comes to our parks and it is one of the ones that generates the most strong opinions that come come across my desk and you are all extremely responsive to those even those who have their their own opinions that are very different than the majority of feedback that we're getting you guys Your team listens and you respond yourself to some of them and it really shows the care and the leadership that you have. I think that out of our executive team that you consistently stand out because I think your great experience and the real care that you approach the job and know how people feel about their parks and the park system And so you're always open to learning and growing and getting feedback and working with people where they are. And I've always really appreciated that and the responsiveness that you show. And so I really, really commend you and your team for helping really help our county come together because that's what parks do. And they bring people together. they help people recreate and get out in the fresh air and during the pandemic i think we even you know really come to even appreciate these spaces even more um and i certainly do and so i i commend you all and and i wish i think this is one of the best proclamations so thanks a lot thank you

Give comments.

No, I was just going to say it's very easy to do with a professional team like I have behind. We're all swimming the same direction, which makes it really easy to do the work. It's amazing work. Sometimes it's hard work, but coming to work every day is really easy.

Well, I will just conclude before we figure out how to take a photo with this group. But I truly do appreciate the work you're doing. And then just highlighting something I'm excited about. Sprinker Recreation is turning 50. It has been in existence for quite a while. And so the parks team had to figure out how do we celebrate and acknowledge that. So this weekend, and there's a lot of people that will yell at me if I get this wrong. So 11 to 4. We will be celebrating at Sprinker Rec with lots of different activities. And if you haven't been out, it is not the same Sprinker like even from 10 years ago. It is very, very, very different in all the good ways and there's more to come. So I like how we continue to grow and solicit feedback from our community you continue to really put people first and how do we how do we grow responsibly and put activities that people will actually want to do i still don't understand futsal but i'm just going to leave it at that and let other people figure it out so we are going to take a picture mr dominique you want to help us figure this out and thank you

One, two, three. Say Parks and Rec month.

So we are now at section eight, which is resolutions. We have resolution R2026-159, Vice Chair Herrera for a motion.

Chair, I move proposal number R2026-159 for approval.

It's been moved and seconded that we approve this item. Can the clerk please read it into the record?

Proposal number R2026-159, a resolution of the Pierce County Council authorizing the Pierce County Executive to execute an interlocal agreement with the City of Lakewood to provide building, plumbing, and mechanical inspection services and requesting that the Finance Department record said agreement on the county's dedicated interlocal agreement website.

Thank you. And this afternoon we have Mr. Tom Swanson to brief us on this item.

Thank you, Chair Hitchin. Yes, the proposal would authorize executive equity and interlocal agreement with the City of Lakewood. The City of Lakewood is requesting this interlocal agreement with Pierce County to have Planning and Public Works provide building plumbing and mechanical inspection services on an as-needed basis. As per the agreement, the scope of services is limited. It is limited to the inspections only. Pierce County would be compensated at the standard hourly rate of $101.88 or the overtime rate of $122.26 per hour on those. plus operational expenses, mileage, and fuel. Pierce County also reserves the right to adjust these rates with 30 days notice to the city. And also, Pierce County also does reserve the right to request or decline to provide service should our staff be unavailable or the workload too high on the Pierce County side and us not have the capacity to provide these services. Lakewood remains the lead agency for permit approval, training, scheduling, and documentation. Lakewood agrees to provide Pierce County with at least one week advance notice of the services being requested. You'll note in your packet that the fiscal note says no or de minimis fiscal impact and that's just we have no historical data as to estimate what the utilization of these services by the City of Lakewood would be. Also, and the local agreements are exempt from community impact notes, so you will also find there is not a community impact analysis in your packet. With that, Madam Chair, council staff is available to answer any questions, and I believe we may have department staff available on the call.

Thank you, and I did miss the Rules and Operations Committee, but it is my community, but we'll see if there's additional questions. We're going to go to Council Member Murrow.

Thank you, Madam Chair. Mr. Swanson, do you know if the hourly rate is per individual, and does that include equipment?

Oh, by per individual unit. There's multiple people that had to go out on an inspection. It's the hourly labor rate that is correct. Per person. Per labor unit hour, yes. So purpose, yes, if there's, five hours being conducted to do an inspection, but it's five people doing it for whatever reason. Not that that's how we do our inspections, but it's a hypothetical. It's per labor unit hour is that fee. And yes, in the contract, operational expenses, mileage, and fuel are also, and other expenses to Pierce County are also included in what would be billed.

That's what I needed to know. Thank you. Thank you.

Thank you. Any additional questions. Any comments from department staff on this 1? I saw you stand up, but I think you were just getting ready in case. Okay. Um, so again, this is my jurisdiction. My biggest concern was. what if we couldn't meet the need of lakewood and what happens i wouldn't want to put our residents and lakewood still our residents but we're not responsible for their permits i didn't want to put our permits behind to serve lakewood and so clearly this has language that says if our department staff doesn't have capacity or would have to delay a project in south hill sorry lakewood you gotta we we're gonna say no because we've got to manage our own projects and i was i wanted to make sure that was in here because that's how it should work so it is and they agreed so if we pass this day that will be how it works so any other comments or questions not seeing any we are going to open this up for public comments so if anyone would like to address the council on our 2026-159 this is uh us the county providing building permit services in the city of lakewood please come to the podium or Mr. Dominique, do you want to do your thing?

Good evening. For any member of the public, I'd like to provide comment on proposal number R2026-159. Please press the raise hand icon in Zoom or star 9 on your telephone keypad. But no hands, it's time manager.

With no hands raised, I'm going to close public comment, bring it back before the full council. Is there any further comments? Seeing none, can the clerk call the approval, the roll on the approval of R2026-159?

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?

Aye. You have seven ayes, zero nays. With seven ayes, zero nays, the motion is adopted. Thank you all. That brings us to ordinances, section nine. We have proposal O2026-533, Vice Chair, for a motion. Chair, I move proposal number O2026-533 for approval.

It's been moved and seconded. Can the clerk please read it into the record? Proposal number O2026-533, an ordinance of the Pierce County Council amending section 8.102.030 of the Pierce County Code authorization requirement to remove embalm from prohibited predisposition authorization activities.

Thank you. And this afternoon we have Andrea Kelly, our principal policy analyst, to brief us on this item. Ms. Kelly.

Thank you, Chair Hitchen and Council Members, Andrea Kelly, Council Staff. So the proposal that you have in front of you today is more of a technical amendment to an ordinance that was passed last year. In November 2025, Pierce County Council adopted Ordinance O2025-552, which established a process for the Medical Examiner's Office to review all death certificates in Pierce County. Following adoption of that ordinance, we received feedback from the Washington State Funeral Directors Association, which resulted in the proposal before you today. The proposal in front of you today proposes an amendment to the code that removes the word embalm from prohibited predisposition authorization activities. The Pierce County Code that was established in that prior ordinance, the language mirrored RCW 6850-108, which states that embalming or final disposition of a dead body may not be made without the consent of the coroner or medical examiner's office. However, the inclusion of the word embalm in Pierce County Code prohibited embalming until the medical examiner's office provided that authorization. In practice, embalming occurs as close to the death as possible in order to preserve the decedent's remains, ideally within 24 hours. To include embalming in the list of prohibited activities could delay the preparation activity prior to final disposition. The Medical Examiner's Office has confirmed that embalming may have implications for subsequent toxicology screening if warranted, but that the process of embalming will not hinder the ability to perform postmortem examination if necessary. Council staff and the Medical Examiner's Office staff have had additional communication with the Funeral Directors Association, and while there will likely be continued communication as the procedure becomes operational, there are no additional code amendments expected. The Executive's Office and Medical Examiner's Office recommend approval. Present in chambers today, we have Director of Operations, Gina Carver. In the Zoom room, Dr. Klein, Karen Klein-Parhamovich, and Lee Beth Merrick, Strategic Advisor to the Executive's Office. This proposal was introduced June 16th, was in public safety on June 22nd, where it received a due pass recommendation. There is no expected fiscal impact and community impact note are included in the packet. And that concludes my staff briefing.

Thank you. We have a variety of staff. Is there any that have any comments to say before I see if anyone has any questions? We heard quite a bit from, well, actually, we didn't hear. You've all been really great supporting the questions that we've had, but there haven't been very many. It seems very logical. Any questions for my colleagues, though? Not seeing any, I'm gonna go ahead and open this up for public comment. If anyone would like to address the council on O2026-533, please state your name for the record. And you have up to three minutes. We'll start in chambers. Not seeing any, Mr. Dominique will go online.

For any member of the public that would like to provide comment on proposal number O2026-533, please press the raise hand icon in Zoom or star nine on your telephone keypad. But no answer this time, Madam Chair.

No hands raised. I'm going to close public comment, bring it back before the Council. Is there any further discussion on this item? Not seeing any, I'm going to ask the Clerk to call the roll on the approval of O2026-533.

Council Member Ayala? Aye. Council Member Yambe?

Aye.

Council Member Denson? Aye. Council Member Morrell?

Aye.

Council Member Herrera?

Aye.

Council Member Kruver? Aye. Council Member Hitchen?

Aye. You have seven ayes, zero nays. With seven ayes, zero nays, the motion is adopted. Thank you all. That brings us to Section 10, which is Community Forum. Community Forum is an opportunity for members of the public to address the council on any topic that is of significance or affecting Pierce County government and that did not appear on the agenda for final action today. There is a three-minute limit, and in accordance with state law, public facilities like our chambers and televisions, the Pierce County Council prohibits testimony regarding any campaign for election promotion of or opposition to any ballot. proposition during public comments. So if you'd like to address the council, we'll start in chambers. Is anyone here? Not seeing any. We will go online, Mr. Dominique.

Good evening. For any member of the public that would like to provide or, excuse me, participate in community forum this evening, please press the raise hand icon in Zoom or star nine on your telephone keypad. No answer this time, Madam Chair.

With no hands raised, I'm going to close community forum and bring it back before the Council and see if there's any other business. Council Member Denson.

Thank you, Chair. I just wanted to take a quick moment and publicly thank our fire marshal, Ken Rice, and his crew. They spent over 90 hours working last week and were, I think, working pretty much 24 hours a day right around the 4th of July, educating individuals, visiting the different firework stands. They had lots of conversations with folks about fireworks and I think that they got a lot of education out. He got a lot of really positive feedback about the posters that he created to put on the fireworks stands. He said not only did the vendors appreciate having the rules very publicly displayed, that the public was taking pictures of them as well you know because we can get the word out about our our ordinances but it's hard to keep everything in your head so and i appreciate the public taking it seriously and taking pictures of that um so we're going to be receiving a report out a debrief at one of council member herrera's public safety meetings later this year and that'll be in collaboration with the sheriff's office and south sun 911 and some of our fire agencies but Fire Marshal Rice and his crew really went above and beyond, and it's so far from what I've heard. It was a much safer Fourth of July, and we're very, very thankful for that. Thank you.

Thank you for those comments. Vice Chair Herrera.

Thank you, Chair. I just wanted to remind everybody, concerts in the park in the city of Puyallup is starting this week, starting July 9th, and then every weekend they're going to have a concert. So it's in Pioneer Park. It's at 300 South Meridian in downtown Puyallup. It starts at 6.30 until 8 p.m. It's a variety of different bands. It's a great family time, and you bring your lawn chairs, your blankets, and just have a good time with the family and listen to some good music in the middle of the city. Thank you.

Thank you.

Councilmember Ayala. Hi. Thank you chair. Just want to add Tacoma will be celebrating at pride the Saturday they do have If you haven't received an invitation If you are either in office or running for office and supporting pride they do have a special section during that time in which you get to go on stage and so if anybody wants to join the Saturday at Wright Park Feel free to join us.

Thank you. The venue has changed. You can now. It's not in the middle of the street. It's in Wright Park. And then, of course, I already mentioned it, but I'm going to mention it again. So Sprinkler's turning 50 if you'd like to come celebrate. Spray Park is fun. Ice skating can be cold if you don't dress super warmly. And if you can actually stay off the ice, which is not a skill that I have, I always end up landing on the ice. So, but... Yeah, I always end up in the emergency room, so I just don't do it anymore. That's why I like the ice bumper boats. So that's always a fun treat. But that is 11 to 4, and I know there's tons of community events in probably every single one of our districts between concerts and farmers markets, and it's the summer, everybody. So enjoy it. Get outside. Stay safe. Thank you, everybody. And seeing no other business before the council, we are adjourned.