Votes at a glance: Ephrata council approves street-grant amendment, procurement update and penny policy; new patrolman sworn in

At its meeting the Ephrata City Council approved several routine but consequential items: a street‑grant amendment request, a procurement policy update required by an audit, and a short‑term policy to address cash payments when pennies are unavailable. The council also swore in Roman Hernandez as a new police patrolman.

Street grant (R26‑035): staff (S6) described amendments to an existing street grant that will add sidewalks and requested authorization for the mayor to sign an amendment requesting an additional $118,000 toward construction — a request intended to cover 100% of construction costs, eliminating the usual local match if the funding is awarded. The council moved, seconded and voted to approve R26‑035.

Procurement policy update (R26‑029): staff (S5) said the city's purchase and bidding policy needed clearer references to specific federal guidelines following an audit. Councilors agreed the changes were technical and non‑substantive; the council adopted the update.

Pennies policy (R26‑028): staff (S5) explained a short‑term approach for when pennies are not available for cash payments: collect to the nearest five cents and post any small overpayment as a credit on the customer's account; a new state law effective June 11 will allow statutory rounding and a software fix may allow a different approach in 2027. The council approved the interim policy.

Swearing in: the council administered the oath to Roman Hernandez, who was sworn as a police patrolman for the city.

All three resolutions were moved, seconded and recorded in the transcript as having passed; the transcript records roll‑call style "aye" responses but does not include a full roll‑call tally for each vote in the meeting record.