City Council Study Session — Yakima, WA
Date: 2025-05-13

YAKIMA CITY COUNCIL MINUTES
 May 13, 2025
 City Hall – Council Chambers – 129 N 2nd Street, Yakima, WA
 5:00 PM City Council Study Session – Conducted in person and virtually via Zoom.

1) Roll Call

 Present: Mayor Patricia Byers, presiding; Assistant Mayor Matt Brown and
 Councilmembers Reedy Berg, Janice Deccio, Rick Glenn, Danny Herrera and Leo Roy

 Staff: City Manager Vicki Baker, City Attorney Sara Watkins and City Clerk Rosalinda
 Ibarra

2) Public Comment (allow 15 minutes)

 It was Council consensus to extend the time allotted for public comment to allow all
 speakers to participate.

 The following individuals spoke in support of the Yakima Valley Trolleys: Dennis Elliott
 (Trolley maintenance department); Casey Kisser, City resident; Ken Johnsen, President
 of Yakima Valley Trolleys; Aileen Kane, City resident; Charles Chesney, City resident;
 Chad Tiffany, City resident; William Longmire, Selah resident and Selah
 Councilmember; and Gregory Johnsen, non-resident.

 Luis López, City resident, spoke about the lack of affordable housing and addressed the
 removal of homeless individuals in a humane and dignified manner.

 Ron Torres and Shelley White, City residents, voiced concerns regarding recent
 changes to housing and development laws and the role of shadow-banking in the real
 estate industry and its effect on the housing market.

3) Study Session Items

 3.A National Salvation Army Week proclamation

 Councilmember Glenn proclaimed the week of May 12-18, 2025, as "National
 Salvation Army Week" and Lisa Sargent accepted the proclamation.

 3.B Discussion about City-owned surplus properties

 City Attorney Sara Watkins presented an overview about specific City-owned
 properties and highlighted properties that have minimal improvements and/or
 developments which may be marketable and be subject to surplus and sale. She


May 13, 2025 – Yakima City Council Meeting Minutes Page 1 of 3
 noted that some parcels may have restrictions due to funding source, site work,
 and revenue allocation. The process to surplus and sell city property was outlined
 and discussed. Ms. Watkins further described State and local regulations that
 allow the disposal of properties for affordable housing opportunities and provided
 the Council with information about that option.

 The Council expressed interest in several properties and asked staff to conduct
 additional research into the feasibility for potential surplus and sale proceedings.

 3.C Design Options - 6th Ave Rebuild & Rail Renovation Project 2796 (TBD Fund)

 Acting City Engineer Bill Preston introduced Michael Uhlman (HLA Engineering
 and Land Surveying, Inc.) and Aaron Luoma (HBB Landscape Architecture) who
 presented information about design options for the 6th Avenue Rebuild & Rail
 Renovation project. The project area encompasses 6th Avenue between Walnut
 Street and River Road and is primarily funded by the Transportation Benefit
 District Fund. The Yakima Valley Trolley and the William O. Douglas Trail run
 along part of the project corridor and are impacted by the existing infrastructure.

 Mr. Uhlman provided detailed depictions of the existing road conditions of each
 of the distinct sections that the project is organized into: Industrial, Residential,
 and Commercial. He noted safety concerns caused by insufficient separation for
 pedestrians due to space constraints and deteriorating infrastructure and
 pavement failure.

 Mr. Luoma reported on the extensive public engagement efforts conducted to
 gather input from residents, community members, business owners and
 stakeholders. An initial online survey showed 48% of respondents were Yakima
 residents and the remaining were non-Yakima residents, and a majority of the
 respondents favored the option that maintained the trolley concept.

 Mr. Luoma and Mr. Preston further described lessons learned about the initial
 public outreach and emphasized the need for revised outreach efforts. They
 noted limited input from Spanish speaking community and low participation from
 residents and employees/business owners surrounding the proposed project
 area. Mr. Preston provided results from the second round of efforts which
 included a more focused outreach and showed a higher ranking for sidewalks
 and parking and a lower ranking for the Trolley and William O. Douglas Trail.

 Mr. Uhlman shared additional feedback received regarding the three conceptual
 possibilities and their respective proposed project costs:
 1) Concept with Trolley (approximate total $12.8 million), maintains the
 trolley tracks and includes only transportation improvements, does not include
 $2.1 million catenary lines cost
 2) Concept with Trolley and Couplet (approximate total $13.2 million),
 maintains the trolley tracks and includes only transportation improvement, does
 not include $2.1 million catenary lines cost
 3) Concept with No Trolley (approximate total $7.5 million).




May 13, 2025 – Yakima City Council Meeting Minutes Page 2 of 3
 He elaborated on the design elements to be considered such as bike lanes,
 buffers, driveways, parking, sidewalks, travel lane widths, the Trolley, and the
 William O. Douglas Trail.

 The City Council was asked to consider the data provided and the public
 feedback as they evaluate which direction to take on this project. A public
 hearing will be scheduled for a future meeting.

 3.D Transportation Benefit District Presentation (TBD Fund)

 Acting City Engineer Bill Preston presented the updated Transportation Benefit
 District (TBD) project list and explained the statutory requirements for amending
 the list. The current list includes 26 street and sidewalk projects, estimated at
 approximately $44 million, adjusted over time to account for increases due to
 inflation. The TBD fund generates an estimated $1.6 million in revenue each year
 from an imposed $20 car tab fee. To amend the project list or the specified
 assessment, the City Council would need to conduct a public hearing.

 Senior Assistant City Attorney Bronson Faul provided Council with the legal
 requirements necessary to amend the TBD.

 The information distributed also included the 2024 Transportation Benefit District
 Annual Report.

4) Adjournment

 MOTION: Brown moved and Deccio seconded to adjourn to the next City Council
 regular meeting on May 20, 2025, at 5:30 p.m. in the City Hall Council Chambers.
 The motion carried by unanimous vote. The meeting adjourned at 7:41 p.m.


CERTIFICATION

READ AND CERTIFIED ACCURATE BY
 /s/ Signature on File
 ______________________________________

 COUNCIL MEMBER DATE

 /s/ Signature on File
 ______________________________________

 COUNCIL MEMBER DATE

ATTEST:

 /s/ Signature on File
_________________________________ /s/ Signature on File
 _________________________________

 CITY CLERK MAYOR




May 13, 2025 – Yakima City Council Meeting Minutes Page 3 of 3