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Kennewick City Council adopts five municipal-code ordinances, approves consent agenda and a letter supporting veterans employment program
Summary
At its March 4 meeting the Kennewick City Council unanimously approved five ordinances updating fire and police provisions in the municipal code, passed the consent agenda and approved a letter of support for OIC of Washington's federal veterans employment grant application.
The Kennewick City Council on March 4 unanimously adopted five ordinances that move and update fire- and police-related provisions into the Kennewick Municipal Code, approved the consent agenda and voted to send a letter of support for OIC of Washington's U.S. Department of Labor grant application to aid homeless and at-risk veterans.
Council members were presented a single staff report covering fire-department amendments (items 5A and 5B) that transfer content from the city's administrative code into the municipal code and add provisions not previously codified. The proposed changes include formally making the fire chief an appointed position under Chapter 2.12 and consolidating local applications and numbering in Chapter 15.3 so references align with the state model fire code. Chief Ball presented the report and answered no council questions before votes were taken.
A single staff report also covered police-related amendments (items 5C through 5E). The police ordinances transfer administrative-code material to the municipal code, update existing language to reflect current law or practice, and add provisions covering the sale and possession of tobacco by minors (5C), seizure and forfeiture of controlled substances (5D), and regulation related to unauthorized encampments and property recovery (5E). Commander Santoy presented those ordinances and responded to no substantive council questions during the meeting.
Council members moved and seconded each ordinance in sequence and each passed by voice vote; the clerk recorded each as passed unanimously, 7-0. The council also approved the consent agenda and the meeting agenda earlier in the session by unanimous votes. Members then approved a draft letter of support for OIC of Washington to include on Kennewick City letterhead and forward to the organization for its Department of Labor Veterans Employment and Training Services application.
Votes at a glance
- Agenda approval — Motion moved by Mayor Pro Tem Torelli; seconded by Councilmember Anderson; outcome: approved unanimously, 7-0.
- Consent agenda approval — Motion moved by Mayor Pro Tem Torelli; seconded by Councilmember Anderson; outcome: approved unanimously, 7-0.
- Item 5A: Ordinance amending Chapter 15.3 (building and construction) to move fire-protection system and related local applications into the municipal code — Motion moved by Mayor Pro Tem Torelli; seconded by Councilmember Millbauer; outcome: adopted unanimously, 7-0.
- Item 5B: Ordinance amending Section 2.12.020 (city departments and officials) to add the fire chief as an appointed position (appointed by the city manager) and designate the chief as the city's fire code official — Motion moved by Mayor Pro Tem Torelli; seconded by Councilmember Millbauer; outcome: adopted unanimously, 7-0.
- Item 5C: Ordinance amending Section 10.16.085 (alcohol and tobacco-related offenses) addressing sale/possession/use of tobacco by minors — Motion moved by Councilmember Anderson; seconded by Mayor Pro Tem Torelli; outcome: adopted unanimously, 7-0. Councilmember Anderson later noted state law (House Bill 1074) raises the tobacco purchase age to 21; staff said they would amend the local code to reflect the state change.
- Item 5D: Ordinance amending Section 9.32.030 (drugs and drug paraphernalia) related to seizure and forfeiture of controlled substances — Motion moved by Mayor Pro Tem Torelli; seconded by Councilmember Millbauer; outcome: adopted unanimously, 7-0.
- Item 5E: Ordinance amending Section 9.54 (health and sanitation) addressing removal of unauthorized encampments and property recovery — Motion moved by Mayor Pro Tem Torelli; seconded by Councilmember Millbauer; outcome: adopted unanimously, 7-0.
- Letter of support for OIC of Washington's U.S. Department of Labor Veterans Employment and Training Services grant application — Motion moved by Mayor Pro Tem Torelli; seconded by Councilmember Millbauer; outcome: approved unanimously, 7-0.
Why it matters: The ordinances formally relocate and codify local fire- and police-related provisions into the municipal code, clarifying where developers, contractors and the public should look for locally applicable requirements. The letter of support advances a regional application intended to assist veterans experiencing or at risk of homelessness with employment services.
Meeting context: Most ordinance items were presented as part of administrative-code consolidation and had been reviewed at the January 28 workshop; council discussion at the March 4 meeting was brief and limited to procedural motions and confirmations. The tobacco ordinance was adopted as presented but staff acknowledged a state law change that will require a future amendment to raise the regulated age to 21.
For reference, the clerk read ordinance titles aloud during the meeting and staff presented the reports; formal recorded votes were entered as unanimous on the record.
