The Yelm Planning Commission voted on Dec. 16 to forward the proposed 2025 comprehensive plan update to the City Council after opening and closing a public hearing that drew no public testimony.

Chair opened the hearing on the comprehensive plan update (agenda item 9), invited testimony via Zoom or in-person sign-up, and then closed the hearing when no speakers came forward. A staff member praised the draft, saying, “we have a a really good final product,” and the commission moved, seconded and approved a recommendation that the council consider the update.

During staff communications earlier in the meeting, a city staff member (Cody Colt) provided an annexation update tied to the planning work. Colt said Council has approved an interlocal agreement (ILA) setting post-annexation responsibilities. Staff will hold an open house on Dec. 23 at 6 p.m. for landowners and interested residents. Colt said a public hearing on the ILA is scheduled for Jan. 13; the transcript refers to an additional annexation meeting later in January but the stated phrase was unclear in the record. Colt also noted that property tax status for annexed parcels would remain on county rolls for about a year and that residents in annexed areas would have city voting rights at the next election.

Commissioners discussed sequencing: whether the commission’s work plan and any vision-plan updates should be prioritized before or after annexation decisions, and how to coordinate a joint meeting with City Council. Staff and commissioners also noted anticipated state-level code changes in 2026 affecting topics such as accessory dwelling units and lot splitting; no formal code amendments were proposed at the meeting.

Next steps: the commission forwarded the 2025 comprehensive plan update to City Council for consideration; the plan and the annexation timeline will proceed through council hearings and, as described by staff, the Boundary Review Board process when applicable.