Councilmembers used the comprehensive-plan workshop to probe the infrastructure and public-service implications of growth and potential annexation of urban-growth-area lands.

Staff explained that the plan's capital facilities and utilities chapters inventory existing systems (water, sewer, stormwater, solid waste, electricity and telecommunications) and forecast future needs. Celeste (capital-facilities staff) said those data inform the capital-improvement plan (CIP) and the city's six-year CIP, which is updated annually and helps the city prioritize projects and pursue grants.

Transportation and transit issues drew sustained questions. Planning staff said the draft transportation element addresses roadways, passenger and freight rail, nonmotorized transportation and level-of-service (LOS) standards. Staff highlighted a development-triggered requirement: larger commercial or multifamily projects must provide a nearby bus stop and coordinate with Lewis County Transit if a route is not already available. "If you're not on a bus route, you've gotta coordinate with transit to get on a bus route," a staff member said, adding the draft requires developers of larger projects to provide a bus stop within 300 feet of the front door where applicable.

The council also examined how development triggers traffic studies and mitigation. Staff described the city's process: applicants submit trip-generation studies; applications that generate more than a threshold number of peak-hour trips must submit a full transportation-impact analysis (TIA). Staff review TIAs against recent corridor studies and projected 20-year horizon impacts and require participation in identified roadway improvements when projects reduce LOS.

Councilmembers raised public-safety capacity questions tied to population growth. One speaker noted there is no statewide staffing standard for police officers and recounted that, "With less revenues coming in, less officers, unfortunately, there is no standard for officers. There is a standard for firefighters for the most part, but there is no standard for law enforcement." That speaker added that cities can establish local "level-of-service" standards and adopt them as policy, but staffing decisions remain a city budget choice.

Financing: staff discussed tools that will be relevant if growth accelerates — impact fees, capital-facilities prioritization, grant applications and utility rate-setting. Staff recommended the city use the annual CIP update to keep projects and funding strategies current and said the adopted plan and CIP will strengthen future funding applications.

Staff said the plan will flag implementation requirements and call out the need to coordinate utilities, transportation improvements and public safety as annexation and development proceed. Council asked staff to return with material that ties projected population scenarios to service-level and cost implications to aid budget and policy choices.