[{"_1":2,"_109":-5,"_110":-5},"loaderData",{"_3":4,"_26":27},"root",{"_5":6,"_17":10,"_18":19,"_20":21,"_22":10,"_23":-5,"_24":-5,"_25":10},"user",{"_7":8,"_9":10,"_11":10,"_12":-5,"_13":-5,"_14":15,"_16":-5},"roles",[],"isAuthenticated",false,"isPremium","planName","subscriptionStatus","featureFlags",{},"insightsBudget","isDevelopmentHost","userPreferences",{},"recaptchaSiteKey","6LcvOJcUAAAAAHsB-gPGfGktcRlKpH7OTIU_dMTD","isImpersonating","impersonation","affiliateStatus","isFreedomPortal","routes/v2/article/layout",{"_28":29,"_30":31},"notFound",true,"relatedArticles",[32,75,85,97],{"_33":34,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":40,"_41":42,"_43":44,"_45":46,"_47":48,"_49":50,"_51":52,"_53":54,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":60,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":66,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":73,"_74":73},"mediaId",6302470,"mediaKeyId","2478899-fc4e732e4c1cef5bd490b3732d732907","parentId",2478899,"title","Votes at a glance: appointments, ordinances and a bid rejection from March 3 council meeting","audioSeconds",3273,"startMs",4426000,"endMs",7699000,"viewUrl","/Search/View?dp=1&key=2478899-fc4e732e4c1cef5bd490b3732d732907&start=4426&end=7699","thumbnailUrl","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2478899-fc4e732e4c1cef5bd490b3732d732907/thumbnail_4426000.jpg","articleUrl","/articles/6302470/Ellensburg-City/Kittitas-County/Washington/Votes-at-a-glance-appointments-ordinances-and-a-bid-rejection-from-March-3-council-meeting","mediaUrl","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6302470-4d25361bdc51aa86841ab60b16f1d206/orig.mp4?Expires=1776687525&Signature=IpVNu0e-Awb03s5p8ujtsVBVUqxwXYXmG-UoT-uToaramNXvYX3Jc19W3QwMDuUIaMCSpi80qVDkDa18VHLBve6jNTJXw6~PaPEJdTAYp0GQgQemcY8LkA~NU71LrdhMmxZuusLnpZytzFxWX~IYFFehw1XLBDcrq3gGcdZna6vnwNDUgNsOHnoxyX1bX9vPy9Bexovm6o3-XY~YEm8mdJVYjg8FSEBFGGYvxgGLv4Hzxwvhma0toPURMbBzg~zSE-wJUipR3eZuiZ7652UNzjaKvb7csXBaQrH4BltFlPB9wnvC0aUkVKTaKA-1XX3yKqIQ2dKddRPH9xYLiQj-7w__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","author","Ellensburg City, WA","date","2025-03-04T02:56:51Z","article","The City Council took several formal actions on March 3 during its regular meeting. The decisions below summarize motions recorded on the meeting video and in the transcript.

Votes at a glance

- Environmental Commission appointment: Cameron Herman — Approved (motion to appoint carried on voice vote). The council moved and seconded the appointment and the motion passed with all present council members saying “aye.”

- Ordinance 4,957 — Banners, sidewalk flags and decorations in city rights of way — First reading conducted as amended. Council voted to remove section 3.44.0.11 (commemorative flags on city flagpoles) by amendment (passed 4–3), then advanced first reading of the ordinance as amended. Staff will return a revised ordinance for second reading after publishing permitted-location maps and setting public-works fee details.

- Ordinance 4,958 — 2025–2026 biennial budget amendments (supplemental/carry-forward items) — First reading conducted. The ordinance carries forward unspent 2024 budget authority into 2025 for previously approved projects and adjusts appropriations based on recently awarded grants and administrative corrections; council conducted first reading by voice vote.

- Resolution 2025-04 — Reject all bids for Bid Call 2024 Water Street overlay (Main Street to Bender Road) — Approved. Staff recommended rejection after the Washington State Department of Transportation (WSDOT) advised that an included supplemental bidder-qualification form could be interpreted as a prequalification and require rebidding under federal rules. Council approved the resolution and directed staff to re-advertise.

What happened in practice

The environmental commission appointment moved through the consent/appointment process with no public opposition during the meeting. The banner/flag ordinance followed a year-long stakeholder process and a staff legal review; council debated the commemorative-flag provision before removing it and advancing first reading of the remainder of the chapter. The budget ordinance is a routine supplemental budget to carry forward previously approved work and to reflect recent grant awards; staff emphasized that the proposed amendments maintain required fund balances. The Water Street overlay project will be re-bid following WSDOT guidance on bidder-qualification language in federally funded projects.

Council instructions to staff included publishing an application map and fee schedule for banner/flag permits, finalizing budget amendment tables and re-advertising the Water Street overlay bid.

","mediaType","Video","parentTitle","City Council Meeting March 3rd, 2025","oneSentenceSummary","At the March 3 meeting the council approved an environmental commission appointment, advanced two ordinances on first reading (one amended), and rejected bids for a federally funded overlay project after WSDOT review.","taxTitle","Ellensburg City, Kittitas County, Washington","taxId",52274,"location","headline","","shortSummary",{"_33":76,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":77,"_41":78,"_43":44,"_45":79,"_47":80,"_49":50,"_51":81,"_53":82,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":83,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":84,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":73,"_74":73},6302475,"Council advances first reading of banner and right-of-way rules after removing commemorative-flag section",2884,7310000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=2478899-fc4e732e4c1cef5bd490b3732d732907&start=4426&end=7310","/articles/6302475/Ellensburg-City/Kittitas-County/Washington/Council-advances-first-reading-of-banner-and-right-of-way-rules-after-removing-commemorative-flag-section","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6302475-11490f4a6eb3797dce763a93fb54d597/orig.mp4?Expires=1776687525&Signature=Ysw4qrgYTl9gdJSCjMQ~qkZIRmHPd4eqOJ9YyF7-Pon4-JRSxD7LKirtsiwBuXchw4BaTMzpKUz-iFImRGwATF7IqxYUvOJuUwf31okyHn9FmhtbXvI2iQUMGvKza2fPKZ7TAAw7sus8Th~tVmriA~YNHBUsEV0LVGVJJLoVdZOZ7gdbd8Hs9xWpsNTcZYfoQLQQDkiPjjN3GHQpLHik1B7jtCHpS7w9S18W9WhBMQYNAiNNN1s71QZ93w-V9xLbIZcIX-2Nt8PNOTpZ4DJvUfNYmpYfdZ6Tu2PFtYQ6sdYAf4fyps6ZZu-pyBbAq3V5cfbMSXL4vrYyZWgrCqS2AQ__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","Terry Weiner, assistant city manager and city attorney, presented a draft ordinance to create Chapter 3.44 of the Ellensburg City Code to regulate banners, sidewalk flags and decorations in the city right-of-way. The draft followed a stakeholder review process and was revised to reflect recent legal guidance on flags and government speech.

The item matters because it establishes a permitting framework for vertical banners and street banners in the right-of-way, clarifies which entities may apply and narrows use to community and city-sponsored events while excluding commercial advertising, political campaigning and proselytizing on city-installed flagpoles.

Weiner reviewed the ordinance’s background, noting requests in 2022 from civic groups to use streetlight poles, and the need to account for the U.S. Supreme Court’s recent ruling in Shurtleff v. City of Boston when deciding if a flag or banner is government speech or private speech. He explained the draft creates categories: street banners (the transverse banners over University Way), vertical banners (flags on light-pole brackets, e.g., rodeo flags), and sidewalk flags (the small American flags placed by volunteers in the sidewalk).

Key points in the ordinance presented to council included:
- A permit application and limited public-forum approach for vertical and street banners; permit applicants must be qualified organizations with a presence in Ellensburg and a community event purpose. Staff proposed a modest application fee (staff suggested a $50 starting point for administrative processing; final fees to be set in public-works development standards).
- Sidewalk flags were restricted to the local Boy Scout troop’s American-flag placements on approved sockets.
- Government “official flags” recognized under state and federal law (U.S. flag, Washington State flag and the POW/MIA flag) remain authorized on city flagpoles; commemorative flags requested for city flagpoles were to be approved by council action under the draft rules.

Council discussion focused on the commemorative-flag provision (which would allow council-approved commemorative flags on city flagpoles). Council Member Loquist moved to remove the commemorative-flag section (section 3.44.0.11) from the ordinance and another council member seconded; the amendment passed on a 4–3 vote. Weiner said staff would revise the ordinance and the related explanatory “whereas” language accordingly.

Council then proceeded with first reading of the ordinance as amended and directed staff to (a) publish the public map of permitted locations, (b) finalize public-works fees and permit processes and (c) continue coordination with affected stakeholders including public works and community groups. The amended ordinance will return for second reading.

The ordinance also includes a cross-reference cleanup to remove the existing banner language from the sign code and establish a clearer administrative process for street-banner approvals that, under the code as revised, will be handled by the city manager unless a contentious issue is referred to council.

Weiner cited the Supreme Court decision Shurtleff v. City of Boston as the legal context for distinguishing government speech from private speech for flags and banners.

","After a year-long stakeholder process and legal review tied to a U.S. Supreme Court decision, council held first reading of a new code chapter regulating banners, sidewalk flags and decorations in city rights of way. Council amended the draft to remove a commemorative-flag section that would have allowed council-approved flags on city flagpoles.",{"_33":86,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":87,"_41":88,"_43":89,"_45":90,"_47":91,"_49":92,"_51":93,"_53":94,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":95,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":96,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":73,"_74":73},6302480,"Ellensburg Police chief presents 2024 annual report: staffing changes, accreditation, decline in overdose deaths",2274,1536000,3810000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=2478899-fc4e732e4c1cef5bd490b3732d732907&start=1536&end=3810","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2478899-fc4e732e4c1cef5bd490b3732d732907/thumbnail_1536000.jpg","/articles/6302480/Ellensburg-City/Kittitas-County/Washington/Ellensburg-Police-chief-presents-2024-annual-report-staffing-changes-accreditation-decline-in-overdose-deaths","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6302480-61601c3b47df6fdc5c05bed1c4ba7343/orig.mp4?Expires=1776687525&Signature=L-K-JBJfsl6LUsxtrXROYSbzeB7pWmz1pz1saf5-wClVkJxGAYVYbDM4TKqd0KQJctZT2EQKgJWFWjC2to2TRSXy1XXwhQcxvYt5lVr9D~dxWhnn1HuTAlIbs72n5BodbbARPLwARsNgPIJNJUV1gOXLfLyhPEcO6ZhMZHfCdxxJ4fGzyy7-gublulQ05768rTZ67U3oKvYAt9gzurBExr0y24yTLU-90q91GJOMmMKjE7bLpfD3-jM5Swh20bPotgRWZV-LfDGn-0ZV6w1vSSw5g~fXqlm04tnjoCl5RZuvwrC0zmYXC-Kd73wKZQiMAjXg391g~9sEyuEcvPX~Aw__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","Ken Wade, chief of the Ellensburg Police Department, presented the department’s 2024 annual report to the City Council, outlining personnel changes, crime statistics, new programs and community partnerships.

The report matters because it documents public-safety trends, details operational changes and identifies programs—some newly launched, some expanded—that affect how city police allocate resources and partner with other agencies.

Wade said the report focuses on policing inside the City of Ellensburg jurisdiction and that 2024’s full accreditation review produced no negative findings. “This year in 2024… this is the third consecutive full evaluation cycle that we had no negative findings,” he told council.

Wade reviewed staffing changes and promotions: Captain Dan Hansberry had retired in the previous year and John Einmarch was hired from Redmond; promotions included Cameron Clayson to administrative captain and Cliff Callier and Bridal Potter to sergeant ranks, among others. He listed awards for officers, including Stephanie Drunkayas (officer of the year) and Sergeant Josh Bender (chief’s award), and credited staff involved in a child-safety-restraint program.

Operational statistics Wade cited included 1,618 incident reports (a 5% decrease), 684 collisions, and about 3,100 traffic stops. The detectives unit handled 232 cases, including the recent homicide investigation that led to a conviction Wade mentioned in council questions. Code enforcement, largely handled by a single employee after a retirement, recorded 2,978 parking violations and 252 weed violations; animal control recorded 662 animal complaints and 32 dog-bite or animal-cruelty investigations.

Wade flagged mental-health and substance-use trends. He said mental-health related referrals have roughly tripled since the low point in 2015 and were approaching 500 in 2024, and he noted a decline in calls involving suicide attempts in 2024 compared with earlier peaks. On substance use, Wade reported there were no confirmed controlled-substance overdose deaths in Ellensburg in 2024—down from a record nine overdose deaths in 2023—and he credited a combination of enforcement, outreach and programmatic responses. “In 2024, we did not have a single reported controlled substance on my side for overdose death,” he said. Officers administered Narcan six times in 2024 and the department joined the Washington State Department of Health’s Leave Behind program in October, distributing boxes of Narcan to people likely to experience or witness an overdose.

Wade described drugs trends: a shift from pill-form fentanyl to powders and other novel substances, complexity in university-area drug activity, continuing methamphetamine presence and increased drug enforcement activity. He reported 16 nonfatal overdoses in 2024; one 17-year-old was airlifted to Harborview and is expected to recover.

The department launched or expanded several programs and capabilities in 2024, including:
- A new scribe and intelligence analyst role to support evidence-based policing and programs such as graffiti abatement, gang intelligence, a community survey and the CHASE (Community Health and Safety Experience) program being rolled out to students and public participants.
- A drone program (22 missions in 2024) that assisted apprehensions, brush-fire response, parades and criminal investigations.
- An automatic license-plate reader (ALPR) system installed in November and beginning to generate hits for stolen plates and vehicles.
- High-density residential outreach partnered with an apartment complex that produced a roughly 75% drop in call volume at that location after management and police interventions.

Wade said administrative investigations included five job-performance complaints in 2024; two internal complaints were founded and resulted in training or discipline. The department reported eight response-to-resistance incidents for 2024 and noted reporting obligations to state and federal bodies.

Council members thanked Wade and asked which common, low-priority calls the public can help avoid; Wade identified false alarms and frequent welfare checks as areas where community training and targeted notices to high-incident locations can reduce calls for service. Kittitas County sheriff’s office inspector and resident Chris Witsett addressed the council in public comment, praising the department’s coordination with regional partners and the chief’s leadership.

Wade closed by acknowledging department staff and victims of crime and invited questions.

","Chief Ken Wade told the council the Ellensburg Police Department completed a full accreditation cycle with no negative findings, reported personnel changes and promotions, described crime and program trends, and said the department recorded zero confirmed controlled-substance overdose deaths in 2024.",{"_33":98,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":99,"_41":100,"_43":101,"_45":102,"_47":103,"_49":104,"_51":105,"_53":106,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":107,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":108,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":73,"_74":73},6302483,"Ellensburg Downtown Association outlines 2024 achievements, funding needs for trash cans, planters and murals",882,392000,1274000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=2478899-fc4e732e4c1cef5bd490b3732d732907&start=392&end=1274","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2478899-fc4e732e4c1cef5bd490b3732d732907/thumbnail_392000.jpg","/articles/6302483/Ellensburg-City/Kittitas-County/Washington/Ellensburg-Downtown-Association-outlines-2024-achievements-funding-needs-for-trash-cans-planters-and-murals","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6302483-4b8d9399ae8623f8673849aacf46240d/orig.mp4?Expires=1776687525&Signature=FkeDuoJIrkOQq240jz5g6CEy2vP~QxE9iNF5slN0NrBVnVgvtM2CT1aBZEssykhdcShTZRcXqwgiZZZhIoKbopTnpymXdIGiSxGRTlHe1krMyT426Impn-mOpZB1ZKiAvQAAEv4Ri95oPHFZwUTju6aMvs5ZhUz1ngXZ4uj2YOV5YSQHXCYq4hohPWjqmOsafSHaRLjfDmcFtjeI24VVDV4w~DoB2ui1dwPsFRy00aNj-mAIQSsQu79BIwS9CZDj43N0VOFaAr7yuAg8h8j-WFYaF5S2BzRVtX7rS9eGb-JtWiVNvf3r9Mg3VeOKZJHQHF2B4lcJpHaQ0lSKxdMejw__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","Teresa Chanis, director of the Ellensburg Downtown Association, updated the City Council on the association’s 2024 activities and 2025 priorities, saying the nonprofit’s volunteer-driven work supports downtown businesses and placemaking.

The update matters because the association receives a city contract (about $60,000 annually as Chanis described) and uses that funding together with state Main Street tax credits, sponsorships and private donations to operate events and small business supports that aim to boost downtown foot traffic and local revenue.

Chanis told council the EDA is a 501(c)(3) and a nationally accredited Main Street program. She said the group contributed more than 2,100 volunteer hours in 2024 and runs four committees—economic vitality, design, organization/outreach and promotions—to run events, maintain public spaces and recruit volunteers. “We are a small and mighty team of 3,” Chanis said.

She said the EDA awarded $12,000 in microgrants to downtown businesses in 2024 and that over four years the microgrant program has returned nearly $40,000 to downtown merchants. The association ran 11 public-facing events last year and organized a second annual holiday-ornament program and a “vacant storefront tour” that drew more than 70 attendees and helped fill two retail spaces.

On funding, Chanis said Washington State’s Main Street tax credit program allocated $5 million statewide and gave Ellensburg a theoretical allocation of up to $333,000 if businesses pledge their B&O tax line back to the EDA; 36 local businesses participated in 2024, up from 23 in 2023. She said event sponsorships generated more than $35,000 and that 58 businesses supported the EDA in 2024 through tax credit pledges or sponsorships.

Chanis raised infrastructure concerns in downtown: she said there are 48 trash cans and 66 planters downtown, several of which are deteriorating. She said replacing or refurbishing the planters and trash cans is costly—Chanis cited a $1,200 cost to replace one planter and an estimated “over $80,000” for larger repairs— and said the EDA is working with city staff to identify grants or partnership funding. “We’re looking at over $80,000 … those are big part of keeping our downtown clean, but also beautiful,” she said.

Chanis noted a planned restoration of the historic Ross the Hub mural (at Pearl and Third) and said restoration will begin in spring, at an estimated cost of about $40,000. She also said the EDA is working to “relight downtown,” starting with blocks where building owners will allow access to electrical panels and rooftops.

Chanis asked the public to complete the Main Street America transformation survey (open through March 18, she said) and encouraged residents to volunteer, join committees and support downtown businesses.

Council members asked about event locations and the EDA confirmed that much of the planned activity—tree lighting, Hoedown, Trick-or-Treat Harvest Fest, buskers and other family events—will use Unity Park; the Pine Street summer night market will remain on Pine Street as part of Pine Street revitalization. Chanis said the EDA is coordinating with Central Washington University to bring students downtown; she said a CWU Student Night Out last year brought more than 300 students to downtown businesses. “They were saying, ‘I didn’t know this shop was here,’” Chanis said.

The EDA will continue to pursue lodging-tax funding for tourism-related initiatives and plans to participate in Main Street America’s in-person strategy visit at the end of the month.

Chanis closed by listing ways to engage—survey completion, volunteering and business support—and asked council whether there were questions. Council members thanked the EDA for its work and suggested continued coordination with city staff on trash-can and planter funding.

Looking ahead: the EDA asked the council and community to help share the Main Street survey and to consider grant and partnership opportunities to address infrastructure needs in downtown.

","The Ellensburg Downtown Association told the City Council it logged 2,100 volunteer hours in 2024, secured new Main Street Tax Credit participants and is seeking partners and grants to replace deteriorating trash cans and planters and restore a major mural.","actionData","errors"]

Article not found

Votes at a glance: appointments, ordinances and a bid rejection from March 3 council meeting

Council advances first reading of banner and right-of-way rules after removing commemorative-flag section

Ellensburg Police chief presents 2024 annual report: staffing changes, accreditation, decline in overdose deaths

Ellensburg Downtown Association outlines 2024 achievements, funding needs for trash cans, planters and murals