Lakewood council backs regional approach to homelessness, directs staff to pursue interlocal agreement

The Lakewood City Council voted to approve Resolution 2026‑06, committing the city to work with Pierce County jurisdictions on a unified regional approach to homelessness and authorizing staff to pursue an interlocal agreement. Planning Manager Tiffany Spear told the council the resolution formalizes actions the city can take while an ILA is developed.

Council member Laura Sella said the measure "doesn't necessarily commit us to anything at this point other than providing that support," and emphasized that the resolution is intended to expand options for addressing homelessness across jurisdictions. Council member Branstetter said the measure reflects "a step in a direction" toward a shared regional process and noted past efforts in Pierce County had lacked consistent multi‑jurisdictional participation.

City Manager Russell told council that passing the resolution will reprioritize staff time to support the interlocal process but did not specify how many staff hours would be required. The council moved, seconded and approved the resolution by voice vote; no roll‑call tallies were recorded in the meeting transcript.

The resolution asks the city manager to collaborate with participating Pierce County governments and lists possible interim actions the city may take while the interlocal agreement is negotiated. The resolution text is contained in the council packet and is intended to provide a framework for future interjurisdictional coordination.