Dayton city council meeting hear concerns over county contract

DAYTON- Mayor Roger Trump called the Dayton City Council meeting to order at 6 p.m. on September 10, 2024. Trump and council members Teeny McMunn, Michael Smith, Kyle Anderson, James Su’euga, and Shannon McMillen were present at City Hall. City Council members Laura Aukerman and Joann Patras were absent.

During the first public coamment period, Dayton resident Theresa Eier spoke on concerns over the city’s contract negotiations with Columbia County for policing services by the sheriff department. Sheriff departments in Washington state are more autonomous than city-run police departments and more challenging to regulate and reform by elected bodies, said Eier.

According to Eier, the contract with the county allows amendments to obligate the sheriff’s department to better reflect the city’s needs and make them more accountable. She recommended community involvement in developing these amendments to help shape the services provided by the city’s contracted law enforcement.

County Commissioner Ryan Rundell gave the county, emergency management, and sheriff’s reports to the council. He said the city had 332 law enforcement calls, one fire call, and 31 EMS calls. The commissioner said the county had 183 law enforcement calls, 14 fire calls, and 19 EMS calls.

Rundell said the county still had a vacancy on the county’s board of health, and applications are being accepted. He also reported that the state legislature was considering adding another Superior Court Judge to the district, including Columbia County. The county’s share for the new judge would be approximately $30,000, the rest being paid by the State, Asotin County, and Garfield County.

The council approved Ordinance 2012 to change the due date for city utility bills from the tenth of the month to the fifteenth. The ordinance also changed the grace period from the twenty-fifth to the twentieth to allow city staff time to prepare the following month’s bill sooner.

The council repealed Ordinance 994, passed in 1946, which placed responsibility for utility bills on the owner of a property, not the tenants. Ordinance 2013 makes the utility customer liable for payment, whether the owner or a renter.

The council approved Resolution 1551, awarding a contract to ESF Solutions for phase one of the Fourth Street sidewalk improvement project.

In the mayor’s report, Trump addressed the BDI surcharge, which is applied toward the state’s variable carbon emissions tax, making the surcharge a variable rather than a fixed amount.

Trump said the next council workshop will be on October 1, 2024, at 3 p.m.

Su’euga congratulated the city staff for the fine job they did putting together the booth at this year’s County Fair.

The council meeting adjourned around 6:49 p.m. The next city council meeting is scheduled for Tuesday, October 8, 2024, at 6 p.m.