Federal Way residents, youth leaders decry council process on proposed youth psychiatric facility

Residents, youth leaders and several council members raised process and transparency concerns April 15 after the City Council moved forward last month with a resolution supporting a proposed youth psychiatric/behavioral health facility in Federal Way.

Speakers at the meeting said the substance of the facility is not the main objection — many called services for youth and mental health necessary — but that the council bypassed expected steps such as committee review, public hearings and broader notice before moving the matter forward.

Former youth commission chair Juan Luis Juarez Ramos told the council the objection was procedural: “My opposition today isn't about whether we need mental health resources… It's about the process that brought us here,” he said, asking the council to…