Federal Way council declines to act on Connections Health Solutions RFP endorsement after public safety, location concerns

The Federal Way City Council heard more than an hour of public comment and staff presentations on March 18 before deciding not to take a formal vote on a proposed resolution to endorse Connections Health Solutions’ application to King County to operate a South King County crisis care center at a site near the Federal Way Community Center.

The question before the council was whether to formally show the city’s support—via a council resolution—for an operator and a specific site at 322 South 330 Third Street that Connections proposed in its King County request for proposals (RFP). City Attorney Ryan Culler summarized the draft resolution and the mayor’s recommendation against adoption, saying the mayor’s concerns were the site’s proximity to “sensitive community use” and the city’s view that Federal Way already has hosted numerous regional facilities.

Why it matters: King County is funding crisis care centers through a multi-year levy and has prioritized proposals that demonstrate jurisdictional support. Kelly Ryder, King County’s director of Community and Human Services, told the council that “King County has committed that we will not fund any sites that do not have the support of the city jurisdiction where it would be cited.” That procurement requirement made council action on a support letter potentially dispositive for Connections’ application.

Public commenters and councilmembers split sharply on whether Federal Way should endorse the specific Connections proposal. Several residents urged the council to reject the proposal, citing public-safety and quality-of-life concerns for neighborhoods and downtown businesses. Kim Papini, a Federal Way resident, said she opposed the Connections proposal and argued the city would bear a disproportionate burden if a regional facility drew clients from across South King County.

Other speakers urged the council to approve or at least permit the city to be considered. Lana Bostick, who identified herself as chair of the Senior Advisory Commission (speaking as a private resident), told the council she supported the Connections plan and said Federal Way lacked sufficient crisis services. Mental-health and advocacy groups, including Sound Alliance, described regional need and urged careful selection of operators and adequate staffing.

Public-safety data cited during the meeting deepened council concern over the proposed site. The city’s police chief reported that Connections’ existing Kirkland site had recorded 83 calls for service through February of that year and 265 calls for service in 2024; extrapolating the short-term figure produced a projection of roughly 431 calls annually if that rate persisted. The chief said most calls were welfare or welfare-check type responses but warned the council that a low-barrier, 24/7 crisis site “will be a tremendous draw for other jurisdictions” and predicted increased calls for service at the proposed location.

Councilmembers debated both the policy and practical levers available. Several members, including Councilmember McDaniel and Councilmember Dovi, said they supported the concept of regional crisis centers but opposed endorsing this operator at the proposed location next to the community center and school district offices. Councilmember McDaniel urged the council to add enforceable conditions and ‘‘teeth’’—for example, an operating license the city could revoke for code violations—if the city were to show support. Staff said an operator-license regime existed for permanent supportive housing and emergency shelters, that no current code specifically created a crisis-care operator license, and that the council could move to adopt such rules if it wished.

King County staff and the city attorney also described process constraints. City Attorney Ryan Culler said the proposed resolution would not, by itself, bar other applicants from proposing the site but that the county prioritizes applications with jurisdictional support. Kelly Ryder said the county would return to jurisdictions to confirm support when letters were missing and that the county would not fund a site without the jurisdiction’s backing in this procurement round.

Outcome: after extended discussion, no motion to adopt the resolution was made. City staff moved on to the next agenda item. Ryan Culler and the mayor’s office had recommended against the resolution in its current form; several councilmembers asked staff to return with possible code or license mechanisms that could create enforceable conditions and oversight if the council decides to support a site in a future action.

Votes at a glance

- Consent agenda (items A–E: minutes, NPDES report submission, goods/services agreement, 2025 Asphalt Overlay Program bid award, South County Area Transportation Board): approved (motion moved and seconded; matter passed unanimously).

- Resolution supporting Connections Health Solutions’ RFP application for a crisis care center at the proposed Federal Way site: no motion made; no formal vote (item did not advance).

- 2024 Consolidated Annual Performance and Evaluation Report (CAPER) — acceptance and submission to HUD: approved (motion moved and seconded; matter passed unanimously).

- Authorization to purchase CityWorks software (Surface Water Management): approved (motion moved by Councilmember Adobe; amount $298,917.50; matter passed unanimously among members present).

- Development code housekeeping ordinances (Title 18 and Title 19 amendments): both ordinances were forwarded to the April 1 council meeting for second reading and enactment (motions passed).

What’s next: King County’s RFP timeline means the county will confirm jurisdictional support on applications it receives. City staff said they can return to council with draft code or an operator-license framework if the council wants enforceable conditions tied to any endorsement. King County officials said they will prioritize sites that provide a clear statement of jurisdictional support; if jurisdictions do not provide support in this funding round the county expects to revisit siting in subsequent procurement cycles.

Context and constraints: council and staff repeatedly emphasized that, under current rules, the city cannot unilaterally block a facility that meets zoning and permitting requirements, and that many potential sites in South King County are zoned for medical or similar uses. Kelly Ryder told the council the ballot-funded levy and implementation plan require the county to site crisis care capacity in South King County and that timing and readiness of sites (and operator funding) matter in the county procurement decisions.

The discussion underscored two tensions the council will face going forward: the region’s statutory and funding-driven push to establish behavioral-health crisis capacity, and local officials’ desire for enforceable safeguards and siting choices that do not place new trauma, visible distress, or additional police demands next to sensitive public facilities such as the Federal Way Community Center and nearby schools.