Council approves community agreements, airport contract and several code amendments; summary of votes

The Yakima City Council adopted multiple resolutions and ordinances at its April business meeting. Most approvals were routine and carried unanimously or by unanimous roll call; the meeting also included the earlier debated ambulance‑licensing ordinance (see separate story).

Key approvals at this meeting included agreements with community groups and institutions, an interagency wildfire education agreement, a construction contract for airport terminal upgrades, and several municipal code updates. A brief, itemized summary of each voted action follows.

Votes at a glance

- Consent agenda (items 7a–k): Approved (motion by Deputy Mayor Matt Brown; second by Councilmember Decio). Roll‑call outcome recorded as 7–0. Items listed in the consent agenda included approval of minutes (04/01/2025 and 04/08/2025), the 2025 first‑quarter treasury report, March disbursements, project completion and contract acceptance for Granite Construction Company (Nob Hill Boulevard grind and overlay), a resolution amending a commercial lease with the Greater Yakima Chamber of Commerce (10 N. Ninth St.), emergency declaration and authorizations for repair of Fire Truck 91, and an ordinance amending the 2025–2026 biennial budget (as described in the agenda).

- Resolution authorizing agreement with the Yakima Pickleball Club (use of Franklin Park pickleball courts): Adopted 7–0. Staff said the club contributed more than 600 volunteer hours and over $10,000 in parts and materials to convert three tennis courts into eight pickleball courts; the renewal preserves priority club use for four courts and reserves four courts for public play.

- Resolution approving agreement with Yakima Golf Organization / First Tee of Yakima (use of Fisher Park Golf Course for youth programming): Adopted 7–0. Staff said the program will use practice areas and a hitting net on Tuesdays and Thursdays and charges $2 per child for participation.

- Resolution authorizing affiliation agreement with Central Washington University (CWU) and the Yakima Fire Department to provide clinical learning experiences for paramedic students: Adopted 7–0. Staff said the agreement permits ride‑alongs and clinical experiences to support CWU’s paramedic program.

- Resolution authorizing an interagency agreement with the Washington State Department of Natural Resources for community wildfire education and landscape demonstration (reimbursement for signage and drought‑resistant plantings): Adopted 7–0. Staff said signage will display wildfire risk levels and DNR will reimburse the city for some planting materials at selected city sites, with installations planned by June.

- Resolution authorizing execution of a construction contract with Cliffthorn Construction for Phase 1A upgrades (roof and HVAC) at the Yakima Air Terminal (McAllister Field) terminal building: Adopted 7–0. Airport staff said the work addresses longstanding roof leaks and will enable restoration of a commercial kitchen and future redevelopment of upper‑level space; separate bids for baggage claim, family restroom and family gathering space were also under way.

- Ordinance amending the municipal code to accommodate leasing of vehicles (title 3.15): Adopted 7–0. Staff said the ordinance updates the code to reflect the council’s previous policy direction permitting vehicle leases as an acquisition method.

- Ordinance amending development standards to add a violations section (title 12, section 12.0108): Adopted 7–0. Staff and engineering staff described the addition as an enforcement tool for right‑of‑way, excavation and engineering permits; council debated enforcement workload and inspection capacity during the item.

- Resolution setting dates and times for open cruising events on Yakima Avenue (cruise nights) for summer 2025: Adopted 7–0. Council noted they had met with car clubs to set event dates and to encourage clubs to form a coordinating body; staff and council discussed public‑safety and policing costs associated with large events.

Several of the items above were described by staff as having no budgetary impact, using existing or dedicated funding streams (for example: public facilities district funds for select Capitol Theatre planning items mentioned elsewhere in the meeting; DNR reimbursements for wildfire signage; and established airport project funds). Where staff referenced program costs or contributions, those figures were reported as presented (for example: the Pickleball Club’s reported 600 volunteer hours and $10,000 in materials; First Tee $2 per child program fee).

Next steps: In most cases staff will return with implementing documents, task orders, or project schedules. For construction contracts and code amendments, city staff will proceed with procurement, contracting and standard implementation steps; individual items will come back to council if additional appropriations or changes are required.