Ephrata council adopts state‑mandated co‑living ordinance, approves PowerDMS contract and backs protecting public works trust fund

Ephrata City Council on Feb. 3 adopted an ordinance updating municipal code to implement the state co‑living housing standard, approved a contract subscription for PowerDMS to support police accreditation, and passed a resolution urging state leaders not to sweep the Public Works Assistance Account (PWAA).

Planning staff (speaker 8) introduced Ordinance 26‑002 as a local implementation of the state model, saying "Co living housing is essentially lodging or boarding houses," and that the ordinance updates zoning definitions, zoning tables, allowable zones (including mixed residential and the Central Business District), unit density and parking requirements, and adds explicit fire code guidance. Staff said a Determination of Non‑Significance (DNS) was issued, there were no appeals, and the planning commission recommended approval by resolution 25‑03 (adopted Jan. 8).

Council discussion noted the ordinance follows state law (cited in the record) and that the city had limited discretion. One council member (speaker 3) moved to proceed with adoption the same night (skipping a second reading); the motion was seconded and passed by voice vote. The ordinance thereby moves into the city code to align local zoning with the state co‑living standard.

On public safety and contracts, staff (speaker 13) described Resolution R26‑008 to enter a subscription with PowerDMS — a records and accreditation portal required for accreditation submission — and explained recurring costs: the subscription is roughly $550 a year for small agencies plus an accreditation processing fee of about $2,000 to WASBIC, for a combined recurring cost near $2,600 annually. "Roughly, it's $550 a year, and so far...then that price is for agencies with 50 personnel or less," staff said, adding the annual accreditation process fee. Council approved the PowerDMS contract by motion and voice vote.

Council also approved Resolution R26‑007, an interagency agreement with the Washington Traffic Safety Commission to reimburse overtime/straight time for regional high‑visibility patrols (DUI, distracted driving and school‑period enforcement). Staff described the agreement as an annual housekeeping/grant item that covers overtime costs for coordinated regional enforcement.

During discussion of Resolution R26‑010, a council member (speaker 4) said the governor was reportedly considering sweeping funds from the PWAA to cover a budget shortfall and cautioned against the move because the city has used "over $21,000,000 in the last 15 to 20 years" from that account for water lines, a water tower and wastewater upgrades. The council adopted a legislative letter and resolution urging state leaders not to sweep the account and agreed to sign physical copies after the meeting.

All formal actions reported in the meeting were recorded as voice votes in the transcript (consent agenda, ordinance adoption, R26‑007, R26‑008, R26‑010); no roll‑call vote with member names was recorded in the provided transcript.

Next steps: staff will publicize and distribute the proclamation copies and submit the legislative letter on the PWAA; the PowerDMS contract will be executed according to the terms discussed and accreditation work will proceed as scheduled.