City Council Regular Meeting — Yakima, WA
Date: 2026-01-06

YAKIMA CITY COUNCIL MINUTES
 January 6, 2026
 City Hall - Council Chambers - 129 N 2nd Street, Yakima WA
 5:30 PM City Council Regular Meeting - Conducted in person and virtually via Zoom

1) Roll Call
 The meeting was called to order at 5:33 p.m.
 Present: Councilmembers Reedy Berg, Matt Brown, Patricia Byers, Rick Glenn, Felisa
 Gonzalez, Juliet Potrykus and Leo Roy
 Staff: City Manager Vicki Baker, City Attorney Sara Watkins and City Clerk Rosalinda
 Ibarra
2) Pledge of Allegiance
 Councilmember Byers led the Pledge of Allegiance.
3) Interpreter Services
 Interpreter services were not available.
4) Newly Elected Process
 4.A Oath of Office for Newly Elected Council Members
 City Clerk Ibarra administered the Oaths of Office to newly elected and re-elected
 Councilmembers Matt Brown, Felisa Gonzalez, and Juliet Potrykus.
 4.B Election of Mayor
 Councilmember Byers nominated herself for Mayor.
 Councilmember Potrykus nominated Councilmember Brown for Mayor and he
 accepted the nomination.
 Councilmember Brown was elected as the new Mayor by a 6-1 roll call vote; with
 Byers voting no.
 4.C Election of Assistant Mayor (Mayor Pro-Tem)
 Councilmember Glenn nominated Councilmember Berg for Assistant Mayor and
 he accepted the nomination.
 Councilmember Gonzalez nominated Councilmember Byers for Assistant Mayor
 and she accepted the nomination.
 Councilmember Berg was elected as the new Assistant Mayor by a 5-2 roll call
 vote; with Byers and Gonzalez voting no.



January 6, 2026 - Yakima City Council Meeting Minutes Page 1 of 6
5) Public Comment
 Rachel Stiles (City resident), Brianna Morton (City resident), Diane Trammell (City
 resident), Stephen Robbins (City resident), Rosemary Saul, spoke in support of Fire
 Station 92.
 Aileen Kane (City resident), Dave Cox (Northern Pacific Railway Museum), Shanna
 Buckles (City resident), Samantha Drake (City resident), Debra Yergen (City resident),
 Maria Ramos (City resident), Eric Eskilson (Everett resident), Stephen Johnsen, and
 Howard Maxfield (City resident) spoke in support of the Yakima Valley Trolleys.
 Bill Hicks (City resident), spoke about the Yakima County Shaw and Wide Hollow Creek
 Flood Control project.
 Ezequiel Morfin (City resident) spoke against Department of Homeland Security
 immigration enforcement actions in the city limits.
 Brian Korst (City resident) and Dr. Gina Many (City resident) expressed concerns about
 the lack of funding for City services and their importance to our community.
6) Open Discussion for the Good of the Order
 6.A Martin Luther King Jr. Day proclamation
 MOTION: Roy moved and Berg seconded to approve the Martin Luther King
 Jr. Day proclamation and request that it be read and presented. The motion
 carried by unanimous vote.
 Councilmember Byers proclaimed Martin Luther King Jr. Holiday as a "Day of
 Service". Anthony Peterson, Reverend Robert Trimble and James Parks
 accepted the proclamation.
7) Council Reports
 7.A Council Nominating Committee recommendation regarding appointment to
 boards, commissions, committees
 Assistant Mayor Berg reported on the December 8, 2025 Council Nominating
 Committee meeting. The Nominating Committee recommended reappointing
 John Cooper to the Lodging Tax Advisory Committee (LTAC).
 MOTION: Byers moved and Berg seconded to accept the Council Nominating
 Committee recommendation. The motion carried by unanimous vote.
8) Consent Agenda
 Mayor Brown referred to the items placed on the Consent Agenda, questioning whether
 there were any additions or deletions from Council members present. Item F was
 removed from the Consent Agenda. The City Clerk read the Consent Agenda items,
 including resolutions and ordinances, by title. (Items on the Consent Agenda are
 handled under one motion without further discussion-see motion directly below.)
 MOTION: Berg moved and Roy seconded to approve the consent agenda. The
 motion carried by a 7-0 roll call vote.
 8.A Approval of minutes from the December 8, 2025 City Council special meeting
 and December 9, 2025 City Council regular meeting
 8.B Set February 3, 2026 as the date for a public hearing on the Lochridge
 Annexation in the vicinity of Loren Pl and S. 80th Ave.


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 8.C Resolution setting date of February 3, 2026 to amend the adopted Six-Year
 Transportation Improvement Program and amend the Capital Facilities Element
 of the Yakima Urban Area Comprehensive Plan for the period of 2026-2031
 RESOLUTION NO. R-2026-001, A RESOLUTION setting the time and place for
 a hearing on February 3rd, 2026 to review and adopt the amended Six-year
 Transportation Improvement Program and amend the Capital Facilities Element
 of the Yakima Urban Area Comprehensive Plan for the period of 2026-2031.
 8.D Resolution authorizing award and agreement with The Print Guys for city-wide
 printing services
 RESOLUTION NO. R-2026-002, A RESOLUTION authorizing award and
 agreement with The Print Guys for city-wide printing services.
 8.E Resolution authorizing multiple award and agreements for Quote 22555 Vehicle
 Maintenance and Lube and Oil Services for the city Police Department
 RESOLUTION NO. R-2026-003, A RESOLUTION authorizing multiple awards
 and agreements for Quote 22555 Vehicle Maintenance and Lube and Oil
 Services for the city Police Department.
 8.F Resolution authorizing an agreement with the State of Washington Department of
 Ecology for a grant of $350,000 for the Aquifer Storage and Recovery (ASR)
 Disinfection Biproduct (DBP) Monitoring and Recharge Enhancement Project No.
 AC2506
 This item was removed from the Consent Agenda.
 8.G Resolution authorizing an Interlocal Agreement with the City of Selah for limited
 operation of City of Yakima Paratransit Services between the jurisdictions
 RESOLUTION NO. R-2026-005, A RESOLUTION authorizing an interlocal
 agreement between the City of Yakima and the City of Selah for the limited
 operation of City of Yakima paratransit services between the two jurisdictions.
 8.H Resolution authorizing an Interlocal Agreement with the City of Union Gap for
 limited operation of City of Yakima Paratransit Services between the jurisdictions
 RESOLUTION NO. R-2026-006, A RESOLUTION authorizing an interlocal
 agreement between the City of Yakima and the City of Union Gap for the limited
 operation of City of Yakima paratransit services between the two jurisdictions.
 8.I Resolution authorizing close out of Grant AIG: 3-53-0089-057-2024 for the
 Yakima Air Terminal Building Modernization project
 RESOLUTION NO. R-2026-007, A RESOLUTION authorizing the closeout of the
 Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) grant AIG: 3-53-0089-057-2024 for the
 Yakima Air Terminal Building Modernization project at the Yakima Air Terminal-
 McAllister Field.
Items Removed from the Consent Agenda
 8.F Resolution authorizing an agreement with the State of Washington Department of
 Ecology for a grant of $350,000 for the Aquifer Storage and Recovery (ASR)
 Disinfection Biproduct (DBP) Monitoring and Recharge Enhancement Project No.
 AC2506


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 Jeff Bond, Acting Water and Irrigation Manager, briefed Council on the project.
 The City Clerk read the resolution by title only.
 MOTION: Byers moved and Berg seconded to approve item F as presented
 on the agenda. The motion carried by a 7-0 roll call vote.
 RESOLUTION NO. R-2026-004, A RESOLUTION authorizing an Agreement with
 the State of Washington Department of Ecology (Ecology) for a grant of $350,000
 for the ASR DBP Monitoring and Recharge Enhancement Project No. AC2506.
9) Public Hearings
 None.
10) Department Items
 10.A Ordinance amending Yakima Municipal Code Chapter 8.72, Excavations in
 Public Rights-of-Way
 Community Development Director Bill Preston briefed the Council on the proposed
 ordinance relating to excavations in the public right of way. The amendments
 include notification procedures, responsibility to repair damages in a timely manner,
 and reimbursement of city expenses to repair damages.
 The City Clerk read the ordinance by title only.
 MOTION: Berg moved and Roy seconded to pass the ordinance. The
 motion carried by a 7-0 roll call vote.
 ORDINANCE NO. 2026-001, AN ORDINANCE amending the City of Yakima
 Municipal Code Chapter 8.72, Excavations in Public Rights-of-Way.
 10.B Resolution denying the Right of Way Use Permit Application RL250069 for two
 storage containers and a used cooking oil tank in the back of the Minado Buffett
 building along 501 N Front Street
 City Engineer Robert Washabaugh briefed the Council on the proposed resolution
 to deny a request from Minado Buffet to leave two storage containers and a used
 cooking oil tank in the right of way adjacent to the building at 501 N. Front Street.
 The City Clerk read the resolution by title only.
 After Council discussion,
 MOTION: Berg moved and Roy seconded to adopt the resolution denying
 the right of way use permit. The motion carried by a 6-1 roll call vote; with
 Glenn voting no.
 RESOLUTION NO. R-2026-008, A RESOLUTION denying the application for a
 right-of-way use permit in the right-of-way to the west of 501 North Front Street.
 10.C November 2025 Financial Report
 Director of Finance and Budget Craig Warner presented an informational update
 on the third quarter financial report for 2025, consisting of cash balance trend,
 revenue performance charts, fund balance summary, revenue and expenditure
 comparison to budget and actual year to date, and historical detail.
 Sales tax revenues are projected to be below the 2025 amended budget by
 approximately $2.4 million. Property tax collections are expected to be


January 6, 2026 – Yakima City Council Meeting Minutes Page 4 of 6
 approximately $375,000 below the 2025 budget. Utility tax revenue is projected
 to exceed the 2025 budget by approximately $2.1 million.
 As of November 2025, the City General Fund revenues are at 91.4% of budget and
 expenditures are at 82.4% of budget resulting in approximately an additional $2
 million available in reserves. Mr. Warner strongly cautioned Council to use reserves
 for one-time purposes only rather than for things that do not have a potential long-
 term revenue stream attached.
 10.D Station 92: Operations Decisions, Constraints and Path Forward
 City Manager Vicki Baker, Director of Budget & Finance Craig Warner, and Yakima
 Fire Chief Aaron Markham provided an update on the City's comprehensive efforts
 to maintain Fire Station 92 operational despite facing a $3.8 million reduction in the
 Fire Department budget, which includes the termination of the Union Gap contract
 resulting in the loss of approximately $2 million in revenue. Station 92 was
 identified for closure due to its lowest call volume, factors that minimize city-wide
 service impact, and other obligations related to collective bargaining matters.
 Staffing levels are expected to decrease due to anticipated mid-year retirements
 which will increase overtime expenses after July 1st.
 After amendment and further Council discussion,
 AMENDED MOTION: Glenn moved and Potrykus seconded to authorize the
 $150,000 a month for overtime as a temporary solution to avoid closing
 Station 92 and then continue to look for a long-term solution, through August.
 The motion carried by unanimous vote.
 MOTION: Berg moved and Brown seconded that staff present to council at
 the February 3rd meeting how a $0.25 per thousand EMS Levy would plan to
 improve services for the community and provide the necessary documents
 to put such a levy on the ballot for Council consideration. The motion carried
 by unanimous vote.
11) City Manager Update
 11.A Update regarding conversation with school districts related to Lions Pool
 City Manager Vicki Baker reported that she attended a meeting with school
 superintendents and provided the status of fundraising efforts by the community.
 Baker also informed Council of an agreement with the Yakima Valley Trolleys
 regarding storage and access.
 11.B Preview of upcoming topics
 City Manager Baker informed Council of upcoming discussion topics related to
 the Homeless Strategic Plan, assignments to Boards and Commissions, Flock
 cameras, Parks Division fee updates, legislative priorities, the Transportation
 Benefit District projects, trolley operations agreement, and Capitol Theatre.
12) Other Business
 None.
13) Adjournment
 MOTION: Glenn moved and Berg seconded to adjourn to the next City Council
 study session on January 13, 2026, at 5:00 p.m. in the City Hall Council Chambers.
 The motion carried by unanimous vote. The meeting adjourned at 8:58 p.m.


January 6, 2026 – Yakima City Council Meeting Minutes Page 5 of 6
CERTIFICATION
READ AND CERTIFIED ACCURATE BY
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 COUNCIL MEMBER DATE

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ATTEST:

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 CITY CLERK MAYOR




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