Tumwater staff present draft food system plan; council schedules consideration for Nov. 3

Tumwater planning staff on Oct. 14 presented a draft Food System Plan — developed over about 18 months at council direction — proposing goals and policies to increase food access, reduce food waste and support local food production and processing.

The plan, presented by Associate Planner Dana Bowers, was described as intentionally scoped so staff could focus on items the city can directly influence while coordinating with regional partners such as Thurston County solid waste. “The scope of the plan was really designed by council,” Bowers said, noting the work also includes a community food assessment prepared with a consultant and public outreach conducted earlier this year.

The plan recommends three main focus areas: increase food access through partnerships and communications; reduce food waste by supporting food-recovery and redistribution programs and composting; and support local food production and processing, including exploring urban-scale farming and promoting local purchases. Bowers told council the plan’s goals and policies are intended for adoption by reference into Tumwater’s conservation and climate elements of the 2025 comprehensive plan and would guide future decisions.

Councilmembers pressed for operational detail and quick wins. Councilmember Angela Jefferson urged the city to prioritize recovery of surplus food from restaurants and businesses, saying, “how can we have the community work together to recover that food and to give it to our neighbors?” Other members noted examples already in place — store or restaurant donation programs and previous county efforts to collect and freeze food — and asked staff to identify gaps and barriers to scaling existing work.

Staff said the food bank and other stakeholders were consulted during plan development. Bowers and staff reported the planning commission held a Sept. 23 public hearing, received four written comments and multiple verbal comments at the hearing, and voted unanimously to recommend adoption. Staff also said they received an email with a requested edit to one goal earlier the day of the work session; staff will evaluate that edit and return with a recommendation at consideration.

Next steps described by staff include formal consideration at the council’s Nov. 3 regular meeting, where the community may provide public comment. If adopted, staff said prioritized items from the plan would be incorporated into the city’s 2026 work program; some items may require additional resources and study while others are considered “low-hanging fruit” and could be implemented sooner.

Councilmembers suggested several near-term priorities for staff to pursue if the plan is adopted, including mapping existing donation and recovery activity, exploring “little free pantry” adoption and volunteer-supported distribution points, and seeking updates from the food bank’s new director, identified in the meeting as John Slicker, who had provided comment on the draft.

Bowers and staff emphasized the regional and multidisciplinary nature of food-system work — spanning environmental, economic and social issues — and said staff will return with language edits and implementation details for the Nov. 3 consideration.

For council consideration: an adoption ordinance or resolution was not voted on at the work session; staff scheduled the plan for consideration at the Nov. 3 regular meeting.