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Council corrects exhibit and adopts amendment to sustainability plan, adding whale-recovery language; ordinance passes 4-3
Summary
Pierce County Council reconsidered ordinance O2025-575S to correct a mistakenly included exhibit and adopted council amendment number 1, which inserts the committee-adopted Exhibit A and includes language on collaborating for whale protection; the final roll-call vote was 4 ayes, 3 nays.
The Pierce County Council on Jan. 6 reconsidered ordinance O2025-575S and adopted council amendment number 1 to correct an administrative error in the ordinance’s Exhibit A and to restore sustainability language adopted earlier in committee, including language encouraging collaboration on whale protection and recovery.
Council member Kruger explained that staff inadvertently included the wrong substitute version of Exhibit A in the council packet prior to the Dec. 16 vote and that amendment number 1 would replace that exhibit with the version the Community Development and Environment Committee had approved.
"This amendment would replace exhibit a… with a substituted version, which was adopted by the Community Development Committee," Kruger said, explaining the correction.
Council member Robert Denson, who moved the amendment, said revisiting the ordinance was appropriate ‘‘out of respect for what the community development and environment committee worked on,’’ and described the restored language as ensuring accountability and continued discussion with tribes, nonprofits and partner agencies.
Opponents, including Council members Murrell and Kuber, warned that including whale-protection language in a county sustainability plan could create expectations of action, risk imposing staff time or budget impacts, and potentially affect port operations if regulations or restrictions follow.
Council staff and committee members said there was no anticipated additional fiscal impact from the amendment because any project- or regulation-level decisions would return to the council for action. The council adopted the amendment by voice and then adopted ordinance O2025-575S as amended by roll call, 4 ayes and 3 nays.
Vote tally on the ordinance as amended: 4 ayes, 3 nays.
The ordinance will proceed as amended with the corrected Exhibit A and the restored sustainability language requiring periodic reporting to the committee.
