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HomeMy WebLinkAbout2026.02.23 Council Minutes MINUTES City Council Workshop Meeting 6:00 PM - Monday, February 23, 2026 Pasco City Hall, Council Chambers & Microsoft Teams Webinar CALL TO ORDER The meeting was called to order at 6:00 PM by Charles Grimm, Mayor. ROLL CALL Councilmembers present: David Milne, Charles Grimm, Joe Cotta, Leo Perales, Calixto Hernandez, Abel Campos, and Mark Figueroa Councilmembers attending remotely: Councilmembers absent: None Staff present: Harold Stewart, City Manager; Richa Sigdel, Deputy City Manager; Angela Pashon, Assistant City Manager; Kevin Crowley, Fire Chief; Kevin Hebdon, Finance Director; Drew Pollom, City Attorney; Haylie Matson, Community & Economic Development Director; Sara Matzen, Human Resources Director; Arman Rashid, IT Director; Ken Roske, Police Chief; Maria Serra, Public Works Director; and Krystle Shanks, Deputy City Clerk The meeting was opened with the Pledge of Allegiance. Mayor Pro Tem Milne arrived at 6:02 PM. VERBAL REPORTS FROM COUNCILMEMBERS Councilmember Hernandez reported attending the grand opening of the remodeled Benton Franklin Head Start, noting the space looks great and many Councilmembers were present. Councilmember Figueroa reported attending the state wrestling tournament, congratulating those who placed, and attending the Martin Luther King Jr. Community Center opening. Councilmember Cotta reported attending the Martin Luther King Jr. Community Center event, meeting with Little League representatives, completing a Visit Tri-Cities orientation, and meeting with constituents. Councilmember Perales reported on the Good Roads Association meeting. He also attended the Martin Luther King Jr. Community Center event, met with downtown business owners about sign ordinances, contacted BNSF about repainting the Volunteer Park locomotive, and met with a local rowing organization interested in space at the marina. Councilmember Campos reported meeting with the Community and Economic Development Department and attending the Taco y Mas ribbon cutting and the Martin Luther King Jr. Community Center event, noting strong community pride and turnout. Mayor Pro Tem Milne announced the birth of his new grandchild, which prevented him from attending the Martin Luther King Jr. Community Center event. Mayor Grimm thanked Senators Cantwell and Murray for their involvement in recent events. He noted attending the Community and Economic Development Department meeting, a first responders chaplain dinner, and a homeschool tour. He also reported on the Ben Franklin Council of Governments meeting, which focused on improving pedestrian connectivity and safety. ITEMS FOR DISCUSSION WITH OPPORTUNITY FOR PUBLIC COMMENT Office of the Attorney General: Open Public Meeting Act & Public Records Training Ms. Sigdel introduced Melissa Drewry from the Attorney General’s Office, who provided training on the Open Public Meetings Act (OPMA) and Public Records Act (PRA). She reviewed transparency requirements, meeting procedures, serial meeting risks, executive sessions, public comment rules, public records definitions, search and response obligations, exemptions, penalties for noncompliance, and recent legal updates affecting closure of public records requests. Mayor Grimm called for public comments three (3) times and no one came forward to speak. Recess Mayor Grimm called a five-minute recess at 7:13 PM. The Council resumed the meeting at 7:18 PM. Resolution - City of Pasco Comprehensive Safety Action Plan (CSAP) Update and Adoption Ms. Serra provided a brief overview and introduced Veronica Sullivan, DKS Associates, Consultant Project Manager, and Andrey Avetisyan, Engineering Manager, who presented the final draft of the Comprehensive Safety Action Plan. The plan aims to reduce fatal and serious-injury crashes by 50% by 2035 and positions the City to pursue upcoming federal safety funding. The presentation included crash data trends, public engagement findings, and proposed infrastructure and non-infrastructure safety improvements. Councilmembers asked questions regarding DUI trends and expressed appreciation for the extensive outreach and work completed. Laurie Thompson, Pasco resident, spoke in support of the Comprehensive Safety Action Plan. Regional Lift Station and Private Pressurized Systems Ms. Serra provided an overview of gravity sewer, regional lift stations, and private pressurized systems. She noted that regional lift stations are publicly owned and built to state standards, individual private grinder pump systems are allowed when needed, and shared private systems are not currently permitted. She also reviewed Riverview-area sewer needs, existing and proposed lift stations, and policy considerations regarding cost, maintenance responsibility, emergency response, and impacts to ratepayers. Council discussed costs, maintenance responsibilities, and public safety concerns with private and shared pressurized sewer systems. Councilmembers asked how other cities manage emergencies and liability, and whether shared systems could ever be a safe option. Challenges with development in the Riverview area were noted, and the need for more information before making policy decisions. There was general interest in further analysis and a future workshop. Mayor Grimm called for public comments three (3) times and no one came forward to speak. Land Capacity Analysis (LCA) – Comprehensive Plan Update Briefing Ms. Matson gave an update on the City’s long-range planning work. The State requires Pasco to plan enough housing for the next 20 years, including a mix of housing types. The City must plan for future housing needs and is currently short about 4,000 apartment-type units. She outlined four ways to create space for those units: increasing density where apartments already fit, allowing more “middle housing,” permitting taller buildings in commercial areas, and expanding mixed-use zoning. The Planning Commission supported focusing on higher-density areas and mixed-use zones, with limited support for the other options. Council discussed growth pressures, state requirements, and community impacts, emphasizing that increased density should be located where it fits the surrounding neighborhood and existing infrastructure. Several members stressed the importance of considering traffic impacts, being strategic with middle-housing, and protecting the character of established neighborhoods while still meeting State requirements. Laurie Thompson, Pasco resident, asked the City to consider traffic impacts when increasing housing density, specifically mentioning existing congestion near the Road 68 and Burden area and the lack of new freeway access points. Water Rights History and Code Clarification Ms. Sigdel provided an overview of Pasco’s water rights history, how water rights are acquired and managed, and why recent fee updates were needed. She explained that older policies exempted commercial and industrial projects from providing water rights, which became unsustainable as the City’s water rights bank was depleted. In 2023, the City increased the in-lieu water rights fee and added a 50% surcharge when developers remove water rights from a property. She asked Council to clarify and formally codify past discussions about “grandfathering” projects that were already in progress before the 2023 changes, particularly completed preliminary plats. Council generally agreed that only residential preliminary plats completed before the late-2023 policy change should receive the older fee rate, and that the commercial/industrial exemptions should not continue. Council also agreed that if a developer removed water rights from a property after the 2023 cutoff date, the 50% surcharge should still apply, even for grandfathered projects. Peter Harpster, land development consultant, spoke on behalf of his client Big Sky Developer, asking the City to formally grandfather projects that had approved preliminary plats before the 2023 changes, noting the financial impacts of unexpected fee increases. Jeff Kelly, J&J Kelly Construction, shared concerns that the City is now requiring water rights fees for duplexes long after permits were issued and paid, and said it was unfair for charges to be added retroactively. Duane Howard, Big D's Construction, asked the City to honor the earlier understanding that projects already recorded should be grandfathered. Ordinance - Emergency Comprehensive Plan Amendment- School District Capital Facilities Plan Update Ms. Matson presented an emergency amendment to incorporate the Pasco School District’s updated Capital Facilities Plan into the City’s Comprehensive Plan. This update is considered an “emergency” because the City is currently in its periodic Comprehensive Plan update cycle, during which amendments are normally not allowed. The school district’s plan must be updated now to stay current and aligned with impact fee requirements. Council asked clarifying questions about how the update relates to levies, bonds, and school impact fees. Staff confirmed that levies fund operations, while impact fees and bonds fund school construction, and that the fees adopted last year remain unchanged. Council thanked staff for the explanation and had no objections to advancing the amendment. Mayor Grimm called for public comments three (3) times and no one came forward to speak. Ordinance - Emergency Low Density Residential Land Use Comprehensive Plan Amendment and R-S-20 Rezone Ms. Matson presented an emergency amendment for low density residential RS- 20 rezoning. She explained that a conflict arose when the City increased the low-density residential range to 3–6 units per acre in 2023, while the RS-20 zone still allowed only 2 units per acre. To correct this, staff and the Planning Commission recommend updating the land-use designation for RS-20 areas to 2– 5 units per acre, rezoning RS-20 parcels to RS-15, and adjusting code language to allow 2–3 units per acre. She noted this is a modest increase and does not open the entire area to immediate development due to existing sewer and septic limitations. Council members supported correcting the density conflict and agreed the proposed 2–3 units per acre range is appropriate. They also thanked the Planning Commission for its work and indicated they were ready to move the amendment forward. Mayor Grimm called for public comments three (3) times and no one came forward to speak. MISCELLANEOUS COUNCIL DISCUSSION Mr. Stewart announced that Police Chief Ken Roske will retire on March 27, 2026, after nearly 40 years of service. He praised Chief Roske’s leadership and noted the Police Department is in strong condition. Deputy Chief Cook will serve as Interim Chief while the City conducts a national recruitment process, which will include opportunities for Council, staff, and the public to participate. Councilmembers expressed appreciation for Chief Roske’s service and congratulated Deputy Chief Cook. Councilmember Hernandez announced an upcoming downtown event at Cafe con Arte Mayor Grimm reminded Council that a shared office space on the third floor is available for use and requested coordination through staff. ADJOURNMENT There being no further business, the meeting was adjourned at 9:36 PM. PASSED and APPROVED on March 16, 2026. APPROVED: ATTEST: Charles Grimm, Mayor Krystle Shanks, Deputy City Clerk