Council approves Speedway Flats renaming, new retirement option, health district agreement and union contract corrections

At its meeting, the Ephrata City Council approved four items by voice vote: a street renaming in the Speedway Flats subdivision (Resolution 2571), adding a Mission Square retirement plan option for employees at no cost to the city (RS2573), an interlocal agreement to continue the city’s annual support for the Grant County Health District including a required waiver of conflict (RS2574), and corrections and a memorandum of agreement clarifying benefits in the AFL-CIO collective bargaining agreement (RS2575).

RS2571 — Speedway Flats street renaming: Planning staff opened a public hearing on proposed street names in the Speedway Flats major plat, noting the streets were named under the county’s naming policy and did not fit the city grid. Staff said written notice was sent to affected property owners and no public comments were received at the hearing. The proposal would extend Washington Way across the intersection and rename a county-designated segment to South Point Cove. The council approved Resolution 2571 after a motion and second; the record shows a voice vote with "Aye" and no recorded opposition. Staff indicated about 15 properties are affected.

RS2573 — Mission Square retirement plan option: The council approved adding a Mission Square retirement option as an additional choice for staff. Staff said the change would not cost the city; individual employees who choose the option may incur a small fee. The resolution was approved by motion and voice vote.

RS2574 — Grant County Health District agreement and conflict waiver: Teresa Atkinson, executive director of the Grant County Health District, presented on services the district provides. The district asked the city to continue its regular budgeted support at the same per-resident rate (described in the staff presentation as $3 per resident). Because the district and the city share legal counsel, the council first moved to waive the conflict of interest tied to the shared attorney (Keniston Frans) and then approved Resolution 2574 authorizing the mayor to sign an interlocal agreement supporting the district in the 2026 budget. A council member asked whether the change resulted in an additional payment; the transcript records an answer of "$300" for the additional amount. Both the waiver and the interlocal agreement were approved by voice votes.

RS2575 — AFL-CIO collective bargaining agreement (MOA) corrections: Staff described typographical and plan mismatches in the previously approved collective bargaining agreement. One identified issue involved a dental plan that had not matched the bargained option; staff reported correcting the language and splitting a cost difference with the union, yielding an estimated city savings of about $15 per month per union member (18 members were cited). Staff also corrected the term-life insurance premium from $4.00 to $4.40 per month and clarified a $200 monthly deposit into a VEBA account. The council approved the MOA by motion and voice vote.

Votes and tally: All four resolutions and the MOA were adopted by voice vote; the meeting record shows "All in favor? Aye. Opposed?" with no recorded roll-call tallies. The transcript does not provide individual recorded votes or counts.