Citizens Advisory Commission presents 2025 work plan; council debates clean‑air parks and weapon‑free zones

The Citizens Advisory Commission presented its 2025 work plan at the Buckley City Council joint meeting, outlining six priority areas and asking the council to adopt the plan and the commission’s near‑term priorities.

“I’m April Rattray and I serve as the chair for the Citizens Advisory Commission, and with me we have Kira, we have Natasha, and we also have Jake,” April Rattray said as she introduced the commission and the work plan.

The commission said it organized the 2025 plan around historic and cultural preservation; infrastructure, parks and facilities; policy development and implementation; public art and beautification; community engagement and communication; and environmental health. The commission noted the council previously allocated $5,000 to support a design review and said that money will fund the consultant procurement for a wayfinding strategy aimed for completion in Q4 2025.

Why it matters: the plan would guide permit reviews, advisory input and recommended policy language the commission will present to the council. Several items under discussion—such as a clean‑air parks policy and weapon‑free zones in youth spaces—have direct implications for park users, police enforcement and residents’ use of public space.

Most important details

- Wayfinding and consultant funding: the commission said the $5,000 council allocation will support a consultant selection and project management to develop a wayfinding strategy by Q4 2025, including priority signage areas. The commission recommended running a public bid for consultant services.

- Public art and mural process: the commission aims to establish a structured review process for public‑art proposals by Q2 2025 and reviewed a draft policy and application. Natasha Hecke, a commission member who also serves on the Buckley Downtown Association board, told the council the downtown group will submit a public art permit application.

- Historic preservation and CLG reviews: the commission said it will evaluate certified local government (CLG) applications within a 60‑day review window to meet preservation standards.

- Park enhancement applications and Miller Park planning: the commission will review park enhancement permit applications as they arrive and provide advisory input on site planning and budget for Miller Park and other park spaces as funding becomes available.

Clean‑air parks and weapon‑free zones

The commission asked the council whether it would be interested in revisiting a prior clean‑air parks policy—described by the commission as a potential no‑smoking policy for public parks—and said it would bring a formal recommendation if the council wanted it returned for consideration.

Council members expressed differing views on scope and enforcement. Council member Denise said she opposed a broad ban because she wants parks to be “welcoming to everyone” and noted smoking by adults is legal. She said she could support restrictions in specific areas where children congregate.

Council member Ronald said he voted yes on the earlier commission recommendation and said the policy would be “another tool” for police, adding: “Parks, I think of parks. Kids and families.”

Council member Brandon and others said the proposal originated with youth and the youth activity center and skate‑park users and supported revisiting the proposal. Police representatives noted the skate park already has a no‑smoking ordinance; they said additional park restrictions are enforceable but enforcement is difficult in practice.

On weapon‑free zones the commission said it is considering language to discourage or prohibit weapons at the skate park and youth activity center. Council members and staff discussed legal distinctions between open carry and concealed carry under Washington state law and whether municipal limits can apply to concealed carry; police and council members said the commission will need to “get into the weeds” on statutory constraints and enforcement language before returning a proposal.

Public art and a downtown mural

During public comment, a Buckley Downtown Association representative said the organization will submit an application for an interactive metal mural series across downtown that will include QR‑linked stories and a walking tour. The speaker said the first proposed installation would be on 691 Main Street and that a separate Pierce County grant of $7,300 will help with brick restoration at that building.

"We will be coming forward with an application, for an interactive mural. It will be a series of 4, hopefully, that go throughout town," the Buckley Downtown Association representative said.

Next steps and timeline

Council members asked staff and the city attorney to confirm procedural limits on reintroducing ordinance language and advised the commission to return with refined language and options. The commission said it will bring an adoption agenda bill and return the work plan formally to the council. The commission’s next regular meeting is March 17; a joint update with council is planned for the fall.

Quotes and attribution are taken from the meeting transcript.

Ending: The commission’s work plan establishes a schedule for multiple policy and permitting processes in 2025; council members directed staff to confirm legal constraints and asked the commission to return with refined language and applications for formal council action.