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Votes at a glance: council adopts public defense interlocal, authorizes LOI and software purchase, accepts financial report
Summary
On March 2, the council adopted a resolution amending the interlocal agreement with Kittitas County for public defense services, authorized a conditional LOI for the Fieldhouse developer, approved purchase of public records management software, and accepted preliminary Q4 financial reports.
The Ellensburg City Council took several formal actions on March 2, 2026. Key adopted items:
• Resolution 2026‑04 (interlocal for public defense): Council adopted a resolution amending the city’s interlocal agreement with Kittitas County so the county can continue providing public defense for misdemeanor cases and the payment arrangement mirrors last year’s amount while staff work with the county on a longer‑term formula. City Attorney Chris Horner explained that declining collections and changes in caseload limits require the county to hire more attorneys; staff recommended maintaining last year’s payment level for 2026.
• Authorization of conditional LOI for Ellensburg Fieldhouse (Central Paving LLC): Council authorized the mayor to sign a conditional letter of intent selecting Central Paving LLC as the Fieldhouse developer and directed staff to negotiate lease/leaseback agreements and return final documents for council approval. Terms noted included a not‑to‑exceed project cost of $16,000,000, construction financing capped at 8.5% interest, up to a 50‑year lease with buyout options, prevailing wage and performance bonds.
• Public records‑management software purchase: Council authorized the city manager’s signature on a contract (or substantially similar form) to purchase software to manage Public Records Act requests. Staff estimated about $10,000 per year initial cost and cited roughly 1,400–1,500 requests annually, most to the police department.
• Acceptance of preliminary Q4 2025 financial and investment reports: Council accepted the preliminary fourth‑quarter reports presented by Finance Director Jerica Pascoe; staff will finalize year‑end close and audited statements later.
Motions were moved and seconded on the record and passed by voice votes. The council did not record detailed roll‑call tallies for these motions in the transcript; staff will return with implementing documents and contractual details where applicable.
