Centralia council approves truck purchase, subdivision plat, franchise consent, park planning grant and solar net‑metering ordinance

The Centralia City Council on April 8 approved several business items with limited debate: purchase of a replacement service truck, approval of the Salishan preliminary subdivision plat, consent to a change‑of‑control for a fiber franchise, authorization to pursue a parks master plan through a Department of Commerce agreement, and the second reading of an ordinance establishing a large solar net‑metering program.

Details of each action:

Purchase of 2025 Ford F‑450 service truck (Agenda item 6.a): City staff said the Water Department’s 2012 service truck is a daily work vehicle used for hydrants, leaks and service calls. Chris Stone, water operations manager, and other staff described the vehicle as a priority replacement approved in the 2024–2026 budget. After one resident urged the council to consider equipment hours and idling as wear indicators, the council voted to approve the purchase through the Department of Enterprise Services purchasing system. Motion passed 7–0.

Salishan preliminary subdivision plat (Agenda item 6.b): Planning staff presented a standard (“straight up”) subdivision in the R‑4 zone at the end of Russell Road. Staff said each lot must meet the R‑4 minimum lot size (10,890 square feet); the project passed staff, site plan and Planning Commission review and a SEPA determination. The council approved the preliminary plat and accepted the Planning Commission’s findings and conditions. Motion passed 7–0.

Consent to change of control for fiber franchise (Agenda item 6.d, Resolution 2821): Staff reported Zipfley Fiber Wireless is transferring control to BCE Holding Corporation; the franchise and agreement require council consent on change of control. With no public comment, the council approved Resolution 2821 by unanimous vote, 7–0.

Veterans Community Park master plan agreement (Agenda item 6.e, Resolution 2822): The Washington State Department of Commerce identified roughly $50,000 in unused grant funds that must be spent by June 30. The city proposed an interagency agreement and a professional services contract to advance the park master plan, including evaluation work for a “STEAM playground,” covered sports court and other amenities. Deputy City Manager and Parks Director Amy Buckler asked the council to authorize the city manager to sign the contract once a vendor is selected so the tight timeline can be met; the council approved Resolution 2822, 7–0.

Second reading of ordinance 2563 (Agenda item 6.f): The council approved the ordinance establishing rules for net metering and creating a large solar net‑metering program; no changes were made on second reading and the ordinance passed 7–0.

Procedure and public input: Most of these items drew either no or brief public comment. The truck purchase received one chamber speaker supporting replacement due to vehicle hours; the subdivision item had no public commenters; and the park planning agreement drew no public comment in the hearing (staff noted the city would seek a consultant under a tight deadline). The fiber franchise and net‑metering ordinance lacked public comment during the meeting. All motions were approved by unanimous council votes except where otherwise noted in separate articles.

Votes (summary): purchase truck — approved 7–0; Salishan preliminary subdivision — approved 7–0; Resolution 2821 (Zipfley/BCE) — approved 7–0; Resolution 2822 (Veterans Park master plan agreement) — approved 7–0; Ordinance 2563 (net metering) — approved 7–0.

Provenance: each of these items was considered during the council’s business agenda (agenda items 6.a, 6.b, 6.d, 6.e and 6.f).