City Council

CITY OF UNIVERSITY PLACE MINUTES Regular Meeting of the City Council Monday, March 17, 2025 1. CALL REGULAR MEETING TO ORDER Mayor Figueroa called the Regular Meeting to order at 6:53 p.m. 2. ROLL CALL Roll call was taken by the City Clerk as follows: UCouncilmember Boykin Councilmember Worthington Present (virtual) Present N Councilmember McCluskey Councilmember Flemming Present Present O Councilmember Grassi Mayor Pro Tem Wood Present Present FF Mayor Figueroa Present Staff Present: City Manager Sugg (virtual), City Attorney Kaser, Administrative Services Director Petorak, IA Community and Economic Development Director Briske, Public Works Director Ecklund, Police Chief Burke, Finance Director Blaisdell, NPDES Coordinator Smith, Community Events & Contracts Manager IC Holloway (virtual), and City Clerk Genetia. 3. PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE L Councilmember Worthington led the Council in the Pledge of Allegiance. 4. APPROVAL OF AGENDA D O MOTION: By Mayor Pro Tem Wood, seconded by Councilmember Worthington, to approve the agenda. The motion carried. 5. PUBLIC COMMENTS – None. C 6. CONSENT AGENDA U M MOTION: By Mayor Pro Tem Wood, seconded by Councilmember McCluskey, to approve the Consent Agenda as follows: A. Approve the minutes of the 03/03/25 Council meeting as submitted. EN B. Receive and File: Payroll for period ending 02/28/25; and Claims dated 02/14/25 and 02/28/25. C. Receive and File: 2024 Fourth Quarter Financial Report. T D. Adopt a Resolution declaring certain vehicles and equipment surplus and authorizing its disposal. (RESOLUTION NO. 1066) E. Authorize the City Manager to lease essential event equipment from American Party Place for the City’s 2025 events in the amount of $71,200.00. The motion carried. PUBLIC HEARING AND COUNCIL CONSIDERATION 7. STORMWATER MANAGEMENT PROGRAM UPDATE Staff Report - Public Works Director Ecklund, along with NPDES Coordinator Smith, presented the 2025 updates to the City’s Stormwater Management Program (SWMP). As a condition of the City’s NPDES  City Council Minutes of March 17,2025 Page 2 Municipal Stormwater Permit, the City is required to develop, implement, and annually update its Stormwater Management Program. The program lists the components that are required to be addressed and identifies the stormwater-related actions and activities that need to be conducted by the City to meet its requirements under the NPDES Municipal Stormwater permit. Director Ecklund outlined the key elements of the program and highlighted the changes for 2025 such as updated public comment dates, removal of non-required dependencies, and the addition of a new section on compliance with the underground injection control wells. These changes aim to streamline the program and ensure compliance with state requirements. Public Comment – None. Council Consideration – MOTION: By Mayor Pro Tem Wood, seconded by Councilmember Worthington, to adopt the 2025 updates to the City of University Place Phase II NPDES Stormwater Management U Program (SWMP). N The motion carried. 8. O CITY MANAGER AND COUNCIL COMMENTS/REPORTS FF City Manager Sugg reported that the Government Finance Officers Association awarded the City the Certificate of Achievement for Financial Reporting Excellence. He congratulated Finance Director Blaisdell and her team for their work. This is the 27th year the finance team has received this recognition, marking a long-standing tradition of excellence in financial reporting for the City of University Place. IA Councilmember Grassi congratulated Finance Director Blaisdell and the Finance department for their IC excellent work. She invited the community to a ribbon-cutting event at the Seoul Kitchen scheduled for Thursday. Councilmember Grassi shared her appointment with the elected leadership team for the Unified Regional Approach to end homelessness, representing University Place. L Councilmember Flemming echoed the recognition of Director Blaisdell and her team’s work in financial reporting, emphasizing the importance of accountability in government. D Councilmember Worthington announced that he will not be running for a fourth term. He expressed his C gratitude for the support he received from Council and the community during his 12 years of service and O shared his intention to stay until his registered address changes. Mayor Figueroa acknowledged Councilmember Worthington’s significant contributions to the City. He U shared his experience attending the National League of Cities (NLC) conference in Washington, D.C. where he engaged with Congresswoman Strickland and other representatives about the importance of funding for M metropolitan planning organizations and the significance of these funds in the development of the City. Mayor Figueroa proposed a parliamentary workshop for Council’s June retreat and asked his colleagues EN to inform City Manager Sugg of their decision. Lastly, he welcomed Tiffany, a new resident and military member to the University Place community. Mayor Pro Tem Wood congratulated the Finance team on their outstanding accounting and reporting, which T has resulted in a stable and conservative budget over the years. He met with the contractor for the Unified Regional Approach to end homelessness and discussed their survey, expressing appreciation for Councilmember Grassi’s representation on the committee. Mayor Pro Tem Wood thanked Councilmember Worthington for his 12 years of leadership and mentorship, acknowledging his significant contributions to Council. Councilmember McCluskey attended the UP for Art meeting discussing potential music events and collaboration with the Friends of the Library and local artists. She, along with Councilmember Boykin and Mayor Figueroa, attended the NLC Conference and participated in the Small Cities Council breakout sessions. Lastly, she attended the Zoo Trek Authority meeting where various zoo topics were discussed. Councilmember Boykin expressed appreciation for the Finance team’s excellent work, congratulated Councilmember Grassi on her new role, and acknowledged Councilmember Worthington’s contributions during his 12 years of service. He also shared his insights from the NLC conference he attended.  City Council Minutes of March 17,2025 Page 3 STUDY SESSION 9. CITY EVENTS Administrative Director Petorak, along with key staff members and representatives from the Washington Cities Insurance Authority (WCIA), led a discussion on City events. She reviewed the total number of events the City manages, providing the budget amount allocated for the 2025 events, and a cost breakdown of each event. Police Chief Burke explained the importance of the event action plan, which includes critical information such as event schedules, objectives, site assessments, medical plans, assignment lists, and contact information. City Attorney Kaser discussed the City sponsorship of third-party events and its evaluation criteria. Representatives from WCIA discussed best practices for risk management at city events, including transferring risk through contracts, ensuring vendors have appropriate insurance, and being selective about activities allowed at events. They also emphasized the importance of managing safety U risks to prevent accidents, minimize liability, and protect the City’s reputation. N Council discussed various aspects of event planning and risk mitigation, including the need for clear communication, volunteer involvement, and balancing safety with community engagement. Council also O discussed the Duck Daze parade, focusing on issues such as parade candy distribution and the need to determine the final policy on whether candy can be thrown from vehicles or must be handed out by walkers; FF the need to develop and implement a communication plan to ensure all parade participants are informed of the rules and procedures well in advance of the event; parade pacing and the need to create a strategy to ensure consistent pacing of vehicles and walkers to avoid gaps and maintain safety; using/recruiting volunteers to assist with maintaining safety and order along the parade route; implementation of additional IA safety measures, such as using ropes or barriers to keep spectators at a safe distance; and establishing a IC clear risk policy on the level of risk the City is willing to accept for events like the parade, including specific guidelines for candy distribution. Council requested that a special meeting be scheduled to discuss and finalize decisions on parade procedures and risk management policies. 10. 11. L COUNCIL RULES OF PROCEDURE AMENDMENTS – Tabled to a future meeting. ADJOURNMENT - The meeting adjourned at 9:27 p.m. No other action was taken. Submitted by, D OC Emy Genetia City Clerk U M EN T