City Council - Regular Meeting

Good afternoon. I'd like to call to order the Pierce County Council. Today is 04/07/2026. Six. The time is 3PM, and I'd like to ask the clerk to call the roll.

Council Member Morell?

Here.

Council Member Herrera?

Here.

Council Member Kruver? Excused. Council Member Ayala? Here. Council Member Yombe?

Here.

Council Member Denson?

Here.

Council Member Hitchin?

Here. You have six members present? With six members present, we do have a quorum. Thank you all for joining us. In a moment, Member Ayala will lead us in the Pledge of Allegiance and then read a land acknowledgment. Following the pledge, I ask that you remain standing in a moment of silence in honor of Cynthia Stewart, who passed away yesterday on April 6. Cynthia inspired those around her to build an inclusive community and gave her time to many organizations, including the Pierce County Continuum of Care and the League of Women Voters. So please rise if you're able for the Pledge of Allegiance followed by a moment of silence.

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 acknowledgment 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, councilmember Ayala. We are now at the approval of our agenda. Are there any objections to our agenda as presented? Seeing none, we will consider the agenda approved. On today's council, agenda, there will be multiple opportunities for public comments.

On consent agenda, you may provide comment on any final action item. And this does not include items that are placed on the consent agenda for introduction or scheduling. During Section eight of this agenda, we'll take public comment on each well, on each I believe we only have resolutions today, but on each item. And under community forum, there'll be an opportunity to address the council on any topic that was not up for final action. For more information on the rules for public participation, please review the bottom of page one.

We're now at the consent agenda. And on today's consent agenda, there's rather long list of minutes. We have been hosting special meetings in our council chambers as we change addresses. And so during a special meeting, we cannot approve minutes. I don't actually understand the rule why, I just know it's the rule. So today, we are doing like seven or eight sets of minutes. So the packets a little bit longer for that reason, but that will be on our consent agenda. We also are taking one final action item on a resolution and two grant applications and one settlement agreement. So I'm going to look to the vice chair for, wait, let me ask first. Is there anyone who would like something removed from the consent agenda? Then vice chair, are you willing to make a motion?

Sure, I move to approve the consent agenda as presented.

It's been moved and seconded that we approve the consent agenda as presented. We're not seeing any of our appointees, so we are going to open this up for public comment. There's anyone in chambers that would like to address the council on our consent agenda, please come to the podium. I'm not anticipating any, but just in case. Okay. Mr. Weinsberg, can we go online?

Yes, madam chair. For any members of the public who should provide comment on any final action items, press the raise hand icon in Zoom or star nine on your telephone keypad. And no hands, madam chair.

With no hands raised, we'll close public comment, bring it back before the council. Is there any further discussion on the count consent agenda? Seeing none, can I ask the clerk to call the roll on the approval of the consent agenda?

Councilmember Denson? Aye. Councilmember Morell?

Aye.

Councilmember Herrera?

Aye.

Councilmember Ayala? Aye. Councilmember Yombe? Aye. Councilmember Hitchin? Aye.

We have six ayes, zero nays. With six ayes and zero nays, the motion is adopted. Next is messages from the executive. And while he is here, I do not believe he has a message for us. I think he's here for different reasons. So we're gonna move to proclamations. Our first proclamation today is the council and the executive recognizing 04/07/2026 as Betty Boblett's Day in Pierce County. And I'd like to welcome Betty to the podium while council member Morell, one of your biggest fans, reads this into the record.

Okay, a proclamation of the Pierce County Council in the executive recognizing 04/07/2026 as Betty Day in Pierce County, Washington. Whereas Betty Boblitz has served Pierce County with dedication as economic development director, strengthening the county's economy, supporting entrepreneurs and advancing opportunities for businesses and communities. Previously served for seventeen years as president and chief executive officer of the Bellevue Chamber of Commerce, providing strong leadership and advocacy for the business community. And whereas during her tenure in Bellevue, she guided the community through the .com downturn and the great recession while supporting long term growth marked by millions of square feet of new office development, job creation and substantial private investment. And whereas her career has also included leadership roles as director of economic development for the city of Renton.

President and chief executive officer of the Greater Renton Chamber of Commerce where she worked to expand economic opportunities and strengthen regional business communities. And whereas since joining Pierce County in 2018, Betty Bobless has led strategic efforts to attract and retain talent, support business growth and address critical infrastructure and transportation needs while building strong partnerships with Chambers of Commerce, the Economic Development Board of Tacoma Pierce County, the Port Of Tacoma and the Puyallup Tribe of Indians. And whereas under her leadership, the executive priority program

delivered 8,000,000 square feet of new development representing over $865,000,000 of new capital investment. And

whereas under in partnership with the the Black Collective, she helped launch innovative programs including the Pierce County Business Accelerator which has helped grow generational wealth, graduating five seventy eight BIPOC veterans and women business owners and entrepreneurs and the Pierce County Community Navigator Program which has supported over 1,700 small businesses and counting. And whereas during COVID-nineteen pandemic, Betty Boblitz provided critical leadership to stabilize business and protect jobs, including distribution of $62,000,000 of care and ARPA relief funds in direct small business support programs. And whereas under her leadership and the work of her team have been recognized with multiple state wise awards in innovation and excellence and economic development and pandemic recovery. And whereas Betty Boblis has played a key role in Pierce County's economic recovery and preparation for the twenty twenty six World Cup games. Positioning the region and welcoming hundreds of thousands of visitors and realizing significant economic opportunities.

And whereas through her leadership, mentorship and commitment to the community, Betty Bobolis has made a lasting impact on Pierce County's economy and the people it serves. Now, therefore, let it be proclaimed by the Pierce County Council and the executive that 04/07/2026 shall be recognized as Betty Boblitz Day in Pierce County, Washington. And the council and the executive extend our deepest gratitude for your excellent work and lasting contributions to the county's economic vitality.

Let's give her a hand. Betty, we'd love to hear from you.

Well, thank you all very, very much. As you know, it's a team, and I have a fabulous team back here that's helped make all these things happen. Our team also includes your family. So I have my dad here that kind of taught me all about community building, and he was here the first day I got installed into Pierce County. The team also includes my son that went to work with me when he was two days old.

So and during our PPE distribution, his brother, the two of them organized that 10,000 pieces that go out to everybody. They worked the the piece for us and their families, and then my wonderful husband that I met coming to Pierce County. But the thing I also feel like I'm part of that team, that team is also you as well as all of our departments in the county, the Black Collective. We have Wayne Williams here. But all of our organizations, we're your smallest department, but yet we get to be bigger because a lot of them help us do the work to make things happen in the community.

And I wanna give a shout out also to Hugh because during the pandemic, believe it or not, I was looking back as you look back through things. In those nine months, we had 23 ordinances just for economic development and did all the work to make it happen. We didn't outsource any of that work at the time except for Restaurant Rally. So I just, you know, really applaud Pierce County. That was one of the reasons I came here, because we know how to work as a team, because that's the only way things happen. So thank you very much for your recognition. And there's great things to come from Pierce County. I'm just really honored and blessed to work with all of you and the executive.

Well, you and congratulations. I'm gonna turn this over to colleagues to see. Councilor Morrell, do you wanna go first or last?

We'll go last.

Okay. We'll go to Councilor Denson.

Thank you, Chair. Well, congratulations on your very well deserved retirement. Your legacy is so huge, and it will live on and on and on. And what you've helped people create in terms of businesses and helping big businesses grow. I mean, it's building families, it's building communities. And we know that's gonna go on and on into the future. So I've really enjoyed working with you here at Pierce County. But what I always think about is how we worked together before I came to Pierce County. So that's when I first heard of the famous Betty Kapistani at that time. I mean, she's famous, right?

And I came from the city of Gig Harbor. Before I was a city council member, I was part of the chamber and on their economic development committee. And I remember, do we think that Betty would come to one of our meetings? Like, oh, do we ask who should ask? Like, this is a big deal.

And she came and talked with us about everything from fuel docks to the airport, which we still talk about, to a free trade zone. I mean, were exploring everything, what to do with our very limited light industrial land, what would work in that community and bring jobs. Throughout it, Betty, you were always so gracious to come and give of your time to the city and the surrounding unincorporated areas around Gig Harbor to try and explore what we could do residents, that would fit within the community, that would be good for the people that we served. And I just remember just being amazed that you would take the time to do that for us. And I know that it wasn't just us.

It's all of the small cities and towns and rural areas and bigger cities as well that you are always willing to be a partner. Your whole team has, we are a force multiplier here at the county, and you really represented that so well. So thank you for all your work, and just congratulations, and I hope you have an awesome, awesome time with the freedom that you will have now to enjoy this beautiful state we live in. Thank you.

Thank you. We're gonna go to Vice Chair Herrera.

Thank you, Chair. I just want to say thank you. Two words, eight letters. But she said that you have some legacy behind you, and for sure you do. You talked about it in the proclamation of all the stuff you've done.

I I remember as a kid living in Pacific Northwest in Bellevue in the seventies and eighties and how it was kind of a small town. There's a couple buildings there. And then I left and, you know, served my country and came back and saw Bellevue and I was like, wow, what happened here? You know, and I'm sure many people who left and came back and and in any towns where they see it grow, that took a person. That took a person with a vision and I'm probably going to say that was you and many other people.

There's team. There's a team.

It's always a team but it takes a vision of of a person to do that. So, things don't happen by themselves and you're gonna legacy from Bellevue to Pierce County to everything you've touched has touched people's lives. They've given them jobs. They've given them the opportunity to actually live in the Pacific Northwest because the infrastructure was there for a business to be there, for a person to move here and raise their family. On the, you know, even that's big things.

Small things with the Pierce County Business Accelerator. Who knows, maybe some CEO from now that owns a billion dollar company says, had my start in Pierce County because of the Pierce County Business Accelerator. We never know what some of the things we do, big or small, and how that affects people's lives. And I just want to say thank you for all the people that you don't even know that you've touched. So thank you very much. Thank you, Chair.

Thank you. We will go to Councilmember Ayala.

Thank you, Chair. Appreciate it. Betty, I was so sad when I got the message that you were retiring. There's a few things I want to mention. I recall the first time meeting you, it was at Campfire.

And I was just so mesmerized by how energetic you were around the world of economic development. And so I think that it's extremely captivating. And what I took from our first interaction was your yes and attitude and your like, let's figure this out approach to the work. And for me, as someone who was new, that meant a lot because it meant that you were creative, you were innovative, you were just willing to explore. So deeply appreciate that type of leadership that you have brought forward.

Also wanted to mention, you were in this position during a time in our county that was really rough during the pandemic, and we came out of that. And I appreciate for anyone who had a leadership position during those times, I want to say thank you for sticking around with Pierce County and for shepherding the team and the work around that. And then lastly, I know you were past president of the Washington Economic Development Association. I got to see you shine in that space, which was, to me, such a gift to see how you work with partners across the state and how much energy they get from you. And so it does so much for the work and for the morale and for the vision and just deep gratitude for everything that you've done.

Thanks, Betty.

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

Madam chair. I'm a little bit bummed because I didn't get to work with you as much as some of my colleagues. But, you know, we both had a a very strong care for economic development because it relates to everything that we do at the county. It relates to not just jobs. It's not just, you know, simply, those themselves.

It's what they can do. It's the impact on, you know, housing. It's the impact on, you know, our services and and all the things that, you know, are important in community. And and so, you know, I think that if anything that I have observed in this short time is that you have been a deft steward of the job, and you have kept this, county going through a very difficult transition period. And I think that it shows leadership in that, you have helped create space for not only, the people who are around you right now, but you are creating space for the opportunities to come at what's next for Pierce County.

And, you know, through, as my colleagues have mentioned, through a very uncertain period, and not only our our time as, you know, in in elected office or or in county government, but as as a nation. And I think your years of experience and and understanding and educations have helped keep things afloat and keep things running smoothly. So, you know, you've helped create space, and you've helped, you know, us get to the point where we're ready to take off next. And so I you cannot say that about every person. And so I just admired, and I am very honored that we could be here at the time that you were here.

And I'm just excited to see us take off because I think that you've put us in a good place. So appreciate your service to not only Pierce County, but all the service to people in the Puget Sound and just just in awe at what you are have accomplished and what you're gonna do next. And so please don't be a stranger.

Thank you. I'm, in a moment, gonna invite the executive to come up, and then we'll conclude with Councilman Morrell. But Betty, deeply grateful that you were here and I had the opportunity to work with you. I miss the EIDC meetings when I would get I would try and watch them after the fact because I had to make some choices about my time. But truly appreciate the work.

And I think one of the things that I remember is going to the Piopp Fairgrounds when you were having a small business, I'm going to call it expose, it was just like all these different organizations and community groups and just people who had found inspiration and guidance on how to invest in their own future. And we're just so excited to share what they learned, the connections they made, what their next chapter was for them, and to have me sample things, and here's something you could buy. But they were just so excited about the path that had been created, because we tried this. We tried this and said, yes, come and learn from us, come and partner with us, come and help us break down barriers so that they could build their next chapter. So thank you for all the books that you've created, to go with my analogy, all the books that you've created, all the chapters that have been started because of that work.

So, thank you. Executive Mel, I'm going to let you come in because you've made it down here.

Thank you, Chair Hitchen, and good afternoon, members of the council. Customer Merrell, thank you for, your leadership today in, helping to draft, this proclamation to proclaim it Betty Boblett's Day here in Pierce County. It's an honor to join you in doing that, and it's a great honor to be here, Betty, to celebrate your tremendous public service to the people of Pierce County. I joined the council in our deep gratitude for your your tremendous public service. The proclamation did an excellent job of summarizing a tremendous career in so many different roles throughout Puget Sound.

And as it noted, and as she always notes even today, that economic development is a team sport with policymakers, with key partners like the Port Of Tacoma, Economic Development Board here in Tacoma Pierce County, Workforce Central, our chambers, our small business community. She says that at every turn, and I'm and we know she she really means that. The other thing I wanna recognize Betty for is part also what she reflected on. And that is, you know, Betty has a constant knack to hold all the pieces of the very diverse economic development system that we have the privilege of helping to create conditions for and incubate. Right?

So she can be on the front lines of helping big huge corporations like Boeing to grow here and Torrey Composites to grow here and Floor and Decor to to locate their next major distribution hub here. And she can be helping the Gig Harbor Chamber figure out how to help a new micro business start or how to work with the black collective or the Korean Women's Association or the Asia Pacific Cultural Center to figure out how to help new small micro businesses start and grow here, and everything in between. And that's what I've loved through multiple different leadership roles here in Pierce County being able to witness Betty seeing that we gotta be able to do all of those things. We don't have the luxury to just look at one sector of our economy or one one part of it. So, Betty, I I in closing, I I also wanna commend you for the leadership that you've really been able to focus on.

You know, you didn't have to lift up our small business community and lift up our our communities that have been historically marginalized. You put so much effort into building our business accelerator program and our community navigator program in particular, so that communities that have been historically marginalized and not invested in could have significant investment and attention to build skills so that they can, you know, control their own destiny and help build generational wealth. And it is such a passion of yours. It comes out all the time, and it's it's really fun to work with you. Thank you for saying yes when I became executive to stay on with our administration, to help us get started and get our feet under us so we can continue the momentum that you've created for all these years.

So, madam chair, thank you for allowing me to join you today to help proclaim Betty Boblett's Day. It's a great privilege to do so with you. Betty, congratulations.

Thank you. Councilmember Morell.

Thank you, Madam Chair. Appreciate the comments of my colleagues and the comments for the executive. I've been on this council I think the longest. I came in 2019 and got introduced to Betty. Of course, my background is in business and it was just nice to be able to have a heart to heart chat with someone who really got it, understood it.

As the council chair said, you know, our lives are made up of many chapters in a book that we open up. And I know when we've been out nationally, even internationally, the amount of people that come up and say, is Betty Round? Your mentorship is nationwide. I got a kick out of your wine and Zoom meetings that you had with all these chambers across The United States. And these are friendships that you've had for twenty, thirty years as your career has started and now is winding down.

And I know that one of the key things is we measure economic development in jobs and square footage. But I know with you, it it goes a lot deeper into a sense of community. And I know that you take great pride in your family. That is one of the things that I really have noticed. Your father's here, your mom, your immediate family, your sons, and now the honorable where is oh, there he is, Dave.

And your sense of family also. So you have mutual goals there. And you know, I'm just excited for the next chapter. And you know, the books that we continue to write, I will hopefully get my running buddy back at some point in time. But I think there again, we had a lot of great times.

The pandemic was the pandemic. But being able to come up with all these incredible ideas and to be honest with you, have a pot of money that we could spend and like you acknowledge Mr. Taylor on getting one of the programs up and running which was the restaurant rally and to this day I can go into certain restaurants and they will say that saved my business. And it was incredible to work with you and your staff to come up with that concept and be able to get those funds out on a very innovative way. And so I just want to also acknowledge, I think I see the former chair Doug Richardson in the back there And you know, it was under his leadership that allowed us to come up with these ideas and just run with them.

I remember sitting up on the 10th Floor whether it was just me and council member Richardson just trying to figure out a way to invest in our business community. But, you know, those were some interesting times and I, you know, we had a great time dealing with that. But I think there again, as has been said, your small and mighty team back there in the back row has made great strides in Pierce County. Always very knowledgeable in what's going on as a county. You learned we don't have the ability to understand how many businesses we actually have because we don't have b and o taxes.

We don't have licenses that we have to take. So you came up with some very creative ideas during the pandemic. I think you know more nail salons than anybody.

We know who supplies them.

Well, excuse me. So with that, my gratitude to you and wish you the best moving forward. I'll be joining you in about eight months and we'll go hang out and eat and build together. So thank you, Madam Chair.

Thank you for all your comments. Betty, I think it would be fun to do three photos, one with the counselor formal proclamation, then maybe your team could come up. And then all your all your community that's here, we're we're happy to try and do that. I'm gonna let Jayar manage that. I actually don't know where we're going to do our photos because we last time, we had the Daffodil Princess with are we down there?

Yeah. I think it actually looks better up there because we don't have the podium in the way. Okay. So just do that. And then yeah.

Like all you guys. I'll check.

Betty, congratulations. Thank you for your many years of service. Truly appreciate. And everybody that was here to celebrate Betty, appreciate you. We actually have two proclamations. We try not to do this, but couldn't miss Betty Bobolitz Day, and it coordinated with Volunteer Appreciation Recognition Week. And so I'm going to invite Kyle Wintermutz to come to the podium. And I'm gonna ask Councilmember Denson to read into the record that this week, April, is Volunteer Recognition Week in Pierce County. Councilmember Nixon.

Thank you, Chair. Whereas the spirit of volunteerism is a cornerstone in our community, embodying the selfless dedication and compassion of individuals who willingly give their time, talents, and energy. And whereas Pierce County volunteers are the heart and soul of our community, contributing to the well-being and vitality of our county in countless ways, including as search and rescue volunteers, tutoring, master gardeners supporting special events, child advocates, coaches, advisory committee members, and a multitude of other vocations. And whereas this year, the Pierce County Council and Executive dedicate April 2026, as Volunteer Recognition Week to provide an opportunity to express our deepest gratitude for the immeasurable impact that volunteers make every day, fostering a sense of unity, connection, and shared responsibility. And whereas recognizing the efforts of volunteers not only acknowledges their invaluable contributions, but also encourages a culture of giving back, fostering a stronger, more compassionate, and interconnected community.

And whereas the annual Pierce County Government Volunteer Recognition Event is scheduled for this Saturday, April 11, to recognize individual and group volunteer contributions to Pierce County government in 2025. And whereas the commitment and generosity of volunteers can create a ripple effect, inspiring others to join in the noble pursuit of making a positive difference in the lives of others. And whereas the Pierce County Council and Executive encourage all Pierce County community members to recognize our responsibilities and follow the example of these volunteers by giving of ourselves for the betterment of our communities. Now, therefore, be it proclaimed on the April 2026 by the Pierce County Council and Executive that the week of April 2026 is Volunteer Recognition Week in Pierce County, Washington. On behalf of the community members of Pierce County, the Pierce County Council and Executive, we wish to honor and thank the many dedicated volunteers who give generously of their time, energy, and abilities.

The Pierce County Council and Executive hereby acknowledge the special efforts and contributions of the following recipients. And these are recipients of several of the top awards Volunteer of the Year, Golden Service Group, and Silver Service Group Award. But there are many, many other awardees that we're going to be recognizing on Saturday. We've got a lot of volunteers in Pierce County. So I want to read out today Grant Miller, Volunteer of the Year Julie Kennedy, Golden Service Award.

The following individuals all received a Silver Service Award. Sue Brayton, Tom Jones, David Kiesig, Joanne Slabaugh, Nancy Gooden, Tom Jones, David Kiesig, Joanne Slabaugh, Nancy Gooden, Laura Mendoza, Stacy Smith, Cynthia Stewart. And then a Special Achievement Award goes to Dolores Mahoney. Special Group and Brandon Hunt. I think Special Group of the Year Award goes to the Pierce County Explorer Search and Rescue Team, and specifically Chase Woolley, Stacy Smith, and Kat Pettengill.

And the Silver Service Group Award goes to the Pierce County Master Gardeners in regards to the Puyallup Children's Garden. And that's Diane Frey, John Lewis, and Libby Bliss. So we look forward to celebrating all of the volunteers on Saturday. And thank you, Mr. Wintermute, for putting this all together.

It is a team. As Betty said earlier, none of this stuff happens without teams. And we've got an incredible team that puts together this event. So, what a great day to recognize economic development and Betty's career here with Pierce County, because with growth and with economic development comes opportunity, And those opportunities come in the way of people going into their communities and volunteering, doing amazing things to complement the economic growth that Pierce County has to offer. So, again, good afternoon.

Thank you, Council Member Denson and Chair Hitchin. The Pierce County recognition event, I am very honored again once again to chair this event. In 2025, Pierce County benefited greatly from volunteers of all ages and backgrounds who offered their services across many of our government departments. The committee received nominations from 10 different departments and will recognize including those being honored today 16 groups and 68 individuals at this upcoming volunteer recognition event. Pierce County Executive Ryan Mello and Council Chair Hitchin will serve as masters of ceremonies at that event.

This marks the forty eighth year that Pierce County has celebrated and appreciated these community volunteers. I calculated the total number of contributed by these 16 groups and 68 individuals being recognized this Saturday. Okay. Hold on. It's an impressive forty nine thousand six hundred and four hours in just in 2025 from the groups being that were nominated.

Using conservative estimate of about $18 an hour, this represents 8 and $92,000 in volunteerism. These dedicated volunteers exemplify the spirit of countless others throughout the county who together provide thousands more hours in support of our communities. The Pierce County Volunteer Recognition Committee and Pierce County government appreciate the dedication, compassion, and caring of all the volunteers who give their time and energy each and every day. Their services are a huge part of what makes Pierce County thriving, inclusive, and sustainable place to live, work, and grow. So thank you for this proclamation, and thank you for having me today.

Thank you, Mr. Wintermute. I just want to pause and see if any of the recipients are here, would like to introduce themselves and say hello since they took the time to be down here. It's not required, but we will invite you to come up and take a photo. Well, do any of my colleagues or executive have any comments? I know we have, over 40 pages of large print to to talk about all these amazing people this weekend. Well, I will just oh, there we go. Councilmember Ayala.

Thank you, Chair. I first and foremost, thank you so much for for really making the space to honor our volunteers that that provide so much for our county. I did want to highlight just in that spirit of volunteerism, there is so much that happens. Families come together. They're bringing community together.

For a lot of folks, it provides a sense of purpose. Provides a sense of community. And so though we as Pierce County greatly benefit from it, our volunteers are also radiating that forward onto their own circles, their families, and their spaces. And so it is such a beautiful thing to be in that space where everyone shares in that spirit. And I really love seeing the cross generational participation that happens from the young ones to others. And we grow and shepherd folks that give back to the community. Big gratitude to everything that you do.

Thank you. And we will go to Vice Chair Herrera.

Thank you, Chair. This is really appropriate. You know, a lot of volunteers that we don't even know about, the ones that are just down the block who pick up groceries for the lady who can't drive anymore. You know, the human spirit kind of started before we got together and built cities. The human spirit part of it is volunteering.

You know, when someone killed an elk, they cut it up and it was a they didn't get paid to go do it, they brought the stuff back for the benefit of the community. When pioneers came out here and someone needed to build a barn, the community came together and built the barn together. Know, volunteers is the stopgap of when government can't fill in. And even during the good times, you know, it's important to exercise volunteerism because when the bad times come around and government can't provide services, can't do things, it's the volunteers who step up and do that. So it's something that we need to teach our children.

The schools, you know, they talk about volunteerism and we kind of inculcate that into our children and we need to keep that going even through the good times. It's part of the human spirit that we can't forget. Helping one another without getting paid is something very important. So thank you.

Thank you very much for the comments. And Kyle, I'll just thank you and the committee that's gonna put on this event that gives us the opportunity to give back and say thank you to these volunteers. I mean, almost fifty thousand hours of time. That's fifty thousand hours of people coming in contact with another human being. And sometimes, for some of our aging and disability and our, child abuse support services, like, we just people need that human connection, and it's at a level that we can't do at the county level.

We can't afford to send a person out into the community to do that and make take the time at that level. So those volunteers really truly do save lives, including all the cool search and rescue, which have some of the best between the community cleanup groups and search and rescue and the Pierce Fair, the names of those different organizations are just, if nothing else, coming and learning all these great names is just fun. So we are gonna take a photo, and we'll have we're coming up here. So we are to Section eight of our agenda, which is resolutions. Today we have proposal R2026-one 122 before us Vice Chair.

Are you able to make a motion?

Not on it.

Page seven.

Chair, I move proposal R2026-one 122 to be for approval.

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

Proposal number r twenty twenty six Dash one twenty two, a resolution of the Pierce County Council authorizing the county executive to enter into a one year contract for publishing legal notices for Pierce County.

Thank you. And with us, we have our senior or chief counsel, Susan Long. There we go.

All right. Thank you, and good afternoon. This proposal, as stated in the title, will authorize the execution of a one year contract between Pierce County and the News Tribune for the publication of legal notices for the county. And this includes all departments, so not just the council, the notices that they do. State law provides that at its first meeting in April, the council shall contract with the legal newspaper to serve as the official county newspaper for the term of one year commencing July 1.

The staff further provides that the contract shall be awarded to the best and lowest responsible bidder, giving consideration to the question of circulation in awarding the contract with a view to giving publication notices the widest publicity. Now there's a provision in our county code that allows for purchases where a special market condition exists to be directly negotiated. In this case, the News Tribune is the only qualified legal newspaper in the county which has sufficient circulation and will publish greater than once a week. So direct negotiations proceeded under the authority of the code section for services as the official newspaper. The proposed contract is for a one year period commencing 07/01/2026, and the contract maximum is a $135,000, which actually is the same maximum that it has been for a few years now, I believe.

The news tribune publishes digitally every day and in print on Sunday, Wednesday, and Friday, and guarantees a circulation of 11,590 daily and 14,148 on Sundays. This was reviewed by the rules and operations committee on March 30 and received a do pass recommendation. Thank you.

Thank you. Is there anything from department they're already shaking their heads. They're already like we already said our piece. Are there any questions from my colleagues? Not seeing any. At this time, I'd like to invite members of the public to provide comment on resolution twenty twenty six slash one twenty two. Please state your name if you'd like it on the record, and you have up to three minutes. I start in chambers. Anybody wanting to address the council on this item? Not seeing any mister Weinsberry to see if anyone on Zoom would like to address us.

Yes, madam chair. For any members of the public who wish to provide comment on proposal number R2026Dash122, press the raise hand icon in Zoom or star nine on your telephone keypad. And madam chair, I see no hands.

No hands raised. We'll close public comment bring it back before the council. Is there any further discussion? The motion before us is to approve resolution twenty twenty six dash one twenty two. Could the clerk please call the roll?

Councilmember Yombe? Aye. Councilmember Denson? Aye. Councilmember Morell?

Aye.

Councilmember Herrera?

Aye.

Council Member Ayala. Aye. Council Member Hitchin.

Aye. We have six ayes, zero nays. The six ayes and zero nays. The motion is adopted. Thank you. That brings us to item number two. Council Member Denson for a motion.

Thank you, chair. I move for approval proposal number R2026Dash129.

It's been moved and seconded. Can the clerk please read into the record?

Proposal number R202029, a resolution of

the Pierce County Council adopting the Pierce County federal priorities for 2026. Thank you. And Mr. Taylor, our Chief of Staff is going to brief us

this

afternoon.

All right. Thank you. Good afternoon. The proposal before you begins at page 74 of your electronic packet. As the title indicates that the clerk just read, this proposal relates to the adoption of federal legislative priorities for the year 2026.

In addition, this proposal requests the county executive and the government relations staff and our contractor to support the adopted priorities and to regularly report on activity to the council and executive throughout the year. Let me just provide a little bit of background and then a summary of what's actually in this proposal. So in way of background for the members and the public, the county regularly interacts with members of Congress and federal agencies regarding federal legislative priorities and federal funding opportunities. Pierce County also interacts with other counties and local governments through the National Association of Counties, NACO, and other organizations and venues where federal priorities and needs may be discussed. The proposal before the council today formalizes and highlights certain federal priorities to help communicate those priorities to the entities and individuals I just noted.

The priorities themselves are set forth in Exhibit A to the proposal. They're broken down really into two groups. There's a set of federal funding priorities identified, and then a set of federal policy priorities identified. Again, those are all within Exhibit A to the proposal. Just want to hit on the federal funding priorities real quick.

Those include early childhood education, the Early Childhood Education Assistance Program, funding for the Chambers Bay Estuary Restoration Phase 1, floodplain improvement for Orville Road at Kapowson Creek, the Millroy Bridge Replacement Project, which I know you're all very familiar with, McCutcheon Road, Canyon Falls Creek Roadway and Culvert Improvement Project, and then on the Key Peninsula, the Lackey Jackson Intersection improvement project. What I wish to note about those capital projects is they're all in line with the adopted capital plans of the county. The county council has identified these as priorities. The Early Childhood Education Assistance Program expansion, while it's not a capital program in our capital facilities or capital improvement plans, it is identified on your council priorities as well supporting early childhood development and opportunities. The federal policy priorities then touch on a number of areas, including emergency management, human services, transportation infrastructure, economic development, budget and finance, and natural resources.

I won't summarize all of those because the list of priorities is fairly extensive, but they're there before you. I will note that this proposal did was reviewed at your Rules and Operations Committee meeting on March 30. It did receive a do pass recommendation. We do have Ms. Anita Gallagher, the Government Affairs Director for the county present today that can help answer questions regarding these priorities, and I can as well. So thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Taylor. Ms. Gallagher, do you have anything to add before I Okay. Then I will see if there are any questions.

Not seeing any. So I will then turn this, over to public comment. If anyone would like to provide comment on Resolution twenty twenty six-one hundred twenty nine, please come to the podium. Not seeing anyone in chambers. Mr. Weinsberry, we will go online.

Yes, Madam Chair. For any members of the public who wish to provide comment on proposal number R2026-one29, press the raise hand icon on Zoom or star nine on your telephone keypad. And still no hands, madam chair.

No hands raised. We'll close public comment, bring it back before the council and see if there's any further discussion on this. We will start with council member Denson.

Thank you, chair. I just wanna thank Ms. Gallagher for all of her hard work putting these federal priorities together. She worked in a very transparent, collaborative way with counsel and staff. We received briefings and lots of opportunity to ask questions and go back and forth.

And I just want to say that these priorities are so good that we received news the other day that one of the capital projects in my district, the Jackson Lackie KP Highway Roundabout, has been selected for federal funding. So I hope the rest of the capital projects and all the rest of our priorities do as well. So thank you so much for your work on this and your efforts to put all of our ideas and goals for our communities into action. So thank you so much.

Thank you for those comments. And we're gonna go to council member Murrell.

Thank you, madam chair. Appreciate the list of projects. I think as you are aware, the majority of this council is going to go back to DC in May. Are you can you prepare us a package to give to our representatives back there?

Councilmember Morell, yes. Absolutely. So understanding that the document before you, the full federal policy agenda is rather lengthy. We certainly don't expect you to tow around such a long document when you're on the hill. We do have a very nice color handout that we will send with you for your trip. Yes, absolutely.

Okay. Council Member Herrera is going. He can carry it. But anyway, yeah, I would like to have further discussions with you, especially with the Milroy Bridge. What are we thinking that with? Is it just an independent project out there as of now? So anyway, thank you. Thank you, Madam Chair.

Thank you for the comments and questions. And that's part of why we're excited to have this because when an event or an opportunity comes your way, you can refer back to this document. If somebody asks you, what can I do to help you? Then you have an answer. You can go back to this list, and then there's something for every potential conversation. Like, you should have an answer based in this document. So thank you. So we have done public comment. We've asked questions. So I am going to ask the clerk to call the roll on the adoption of r twenty twenty six dash one two nine. Council member Ayala? Aye.

Council member Yombe? Aye. Council member Denson? Aye. Council member Morales?

Aye.

Council member Herrera?

Aye.

Council member Hitchin?

Aye. We have six ayes, zero nays. With six ayes and zero nays, the motion is adopted. Thank you, Ms. Gallagher and team for making this happen. There are no ordinances this afternoon. So we are at community forum. Community forum is an opportunity for members of the public to address the council on any topic of significance to or affecting Pierce County government that did not appear on the agenda this afternoon for final action. There is a three minute limit and I will remind everybody that according to state law, Pierce County Council prohibits the use of our facilities to support or oppose any campaign for election or ballot proposition. Please state your name if you'd like it on the record and address all comments to the chair.

We will start in chambers, and the timer shows up on the little box that's at the microphone, and then we will move to Zoom.

Ken Paulson. I it's come to my attention that people are now questioning Charter Review Commission whether they are actually nonpartisan or not. There's a nonpartisan requirement, but lots of them are part of a leftist group. At least that's what was spoke last week here in in the Charter Review. Somebody spoke and did research, and I actually spoke to the person.

It's very disappointing. It's like everything they do is now tainted. Whatever they come up with has a taint to it. And, of course, we all know that having the sheriff appointed, that's definitely the number one, but then they have other things. So it's very disappointing. I don't actually see a time here anywhere.

Okay.

So my second thought is this. Pierce County is gonna need money in a couple of years because that's why the state has their income tax, which is gonna take a couple years to get instituted. And you have an asset that you could sell or lease or do something with other than keep on accepting the losses on Chamber Bay Golf Course. Now, the losses are kinda hidden. Maybe you should order a audit of it and how much money has been poured into that thing beyond the 23,000,000 to build it.

There's so many there's lots beyond that. It'd be nice that the public knows that. I don't go out there and golf $100 or $150 or $200 or pay the $5.99 whatever fee it is for whatever you get. You know, maybe some people drive down from Seattle and do that. Not something that Pierce County has to own or to be here and to operate.

Let somebody else take the risk. At least examine it. Examine how much money is going out beyond what's coming in. Are those valid questions? I think they are. Thank you.

Thank you for your comments. Anyone else in chambers wanna address the council?

My name is Karen Shuey. I'm the widow of Pierce County Sheriff Deputy Darryl Shuey. And I'm here today on a happy note because there was a policy change within the Pierce County government this last week where now if an officer has determined to have died in the line of duty in DC through the NLE OMF who runs our national wall, they will have eligibility to be engraved on the wall at the Pierce County City Building, which for widows like me and our families and survivors, the consistency in the two is huge. Prior to the change, my husband was denied inclusion on the Pierce County wall, and it's a county he served for nearly three decades. And it was because he was denied wrongfully denied inclusion by Behind the Badge Foundation from our state.

And since Pierce County followed the state, he was not able to be included on the monument in the county city building at the 1st Responders Memorial. But thankful I'm so thankful that Ryan Mello and Robin and Paul and all of you for seeing that that change should be made and making it. So now we another Pierce County widow will never have to worry that their husband's name will show up on one wall and not another wall. It will just remain consistent. I still have a fight with the state.

I have no intention on backing down from that. But this is a huge, huge win for Pierce County widows. So thank you all for caring. It's it's amazing that this change was made. So thank you. I appreciate you.

Thank you for your comments. And I'm not seeing anyone else in chambers. We will go online, mister Waynesbury.

Yes, madam chair. For any members of the public who wish to provide comment, press the raise hand icon in Zoom or star nine on your telephone keypad. And, madam chair, it looks like we have one hand this time. Heather Benedict, please state your name for the record. You will have three minutes.

Good afternoon, council members. My name is Heather Benedict. I'm a property owner, born and raised in Pierce County. I'm speaking today to address the ongoing operational failures within the appointed clerk of Superior Court and to correct the public record following executive branch's partisan presentation at the Charter Review Commission yesterday. Yesterday, the executive spent a significant amount of time defending its administrative control over the clerk's office.

What was not fully presented is the cost of this structure. The clerk of the superior court is a fundamental judicial role. In Washington state, 35 counties entrusted responsibility directly to the voters. Only four counties use the appointed model, but still preserve the office as independent. Pierce County stands alone.

It is the only county that has served this judicial function and placed it fully under the executive control. When a constitutional record keeper is placed within a political chain of command, accountability shifts inward, and transparency becomes conditional. And we've seen these consequences. In 2025 alone, the structure resulted in a $1,000,000 taxpayer funded settlement to the appointed clerk, and then a five month vacancy with no clerk at all. Meanwhile, the state auditor was showing that over $1,890,000 was improperly dispersed to the trust funds identified by the state auditor.

The executive said it had been fixed, but it was only when he was serving and his team was serving as as the clerk. They're not theoretical concerns. They're measurable failures in public accountability. At the same time, concerns about basic procedural safeguards remain. Questions around oath compliance, document verification, and public access continue to surface, while public facing services are being reduced.

For nearly ten years, I've personally attempted to resolve a documented record issue through a simple meeting with the clerk's office. Instead, I've been redirected through layers of bureaucracy without resolution. When the current clerk Ivan Sandoval took his oath took was sworn in. He did not take his oath of office for months later. Deputy clerks are no longer required to take the oath of office.

And I asked for a phone call, and still today, after ten years, the clerk will not return my call asking for a ten minute phone call. That is not transparency. That's insulation. When accountability flows inward, the internal executive authority rather than to the public, the integrity of the public record is at risk. This is not about politics. It's about restoring the confidence in the system and ensuring that the public record remains accurate, accessible, and protected from internal control. I urge the council to examine the structural risks and for the public to engage with the Charter Review Commission's work as they consider restoring true accountability to this office. Thank you for your time.

Thank you for your comments.

And at this time, Madam Chair, there are no other hands.

Seeing no other hands raised, we'll close community forum and bring it back before the council. Is there any other business from colleagues? We will start with Vice Chair Herrera.

Thank you. Thank you, Chair.

I just wanted to announce a veteran stand down that's happening this weekend in Puyallup, April 11 at between nine and 4PM at the Puyallup Elks Lodge. A veteran stand down is for indigent veterans. They're gonna have free haircuts, community resources, legal assistance. There'll be VA benefit information, employment resources, health and welfare screenings. They're also going to be picking people up from, there's going be a van picking people up starting at 9AM from Tacoma Rescue Mission, the Stability Site, Nativity House, 38th And Pacific.

And there's a second, van also picking people up from Family Promise, Oasis, and Aspen Court, all to come to the Veterans Stand Down. So hope to see you down there. Thank you.

Thank you. We will go to councilmember Morell.

Thank you, madam chair. I just wanna remind my colleagues of the Pierce County Flood Control Zone District Board of Supervisors meeting tomorrow. Heavy schedule. We have six resolutions we gotta go through. They're all budget related. So anyway, just wanna remind you, council member crew already said she wasn't gonna be there. So heads up.

I appreciate the reminder. While it's on my calendar, my brain on Wednesday just looks for Board of Health sometimes. So we'll go to Council Member Denson.

Thank you, Chair. I just wanted to thank the council members that came out to the Key Peninsula last Tuesday for the was it Tuesday? Thursday. Last Thursday for the, district seven in district meeting. If you'll see, we had some special District 7 guests there and great turnout. I also want to thank all the county departments that came out and either presented or tabled or both, as well as our many community partners and residents. So these are a big deal to put on. It's a huge effort. Staff has a big role as well. So thanks to everyone who pitched in and contributed and was involved. Thank you. I look forward to attending all of yours, and we'll see if you have a Sasquatch.

I do not have a planned Sasquatch at mine, but now I feel challenged. So

Oh, okay.

But I just want to thank you. While the agenda was quite lengthy and didn't quite get to z, you still finished in one hour and fifty nine minutes. So congratulations. Again, I wasn't doubting you because I've learned not to. You somehow make it work, which is fabulous. So

It's exhausting.

Yeah. So seeing no other business before us this afternoon, we are adjourned. Thank you, everybody.