Leo for Pasco

Pasco City Councilman Leo Perales

17 hours ago

🏛️ PASCO CITY COUNCIL RECAP | SEPTEMBER 21, 2026

Monday night was a packed City Council agenda. We took action on several items involving infrastructure and transportation, finalized the Goodwin Annexation, voted on cannabis retail regulations, heard a lot of public comment, and ended the evening with an extensive discussion about the future of the Tri-Cities Animal Control facility.

Here’s the rundown of what happened:

📋 CONSENT AGENDA

We started the evening by approving the Consent Agenda as presented, including payment of City claims totaling $3,082,453.33.

Several items that we had previously discussed at our September 14 workshop also came back for formal action. This included adoption of the updated Franklin County Solid Waste Management Plan, purchasing property in the Barker Heights subdivision for a future irrigation pump station, and moving forward with professional engineering services for the Road 76 Overpass Project.

We also approved a resolution establishing a dedicated Traffic Safety Program, which provides a framework for eligible automated traffic-safety-camera revenues to be directed toward traffic-safety improvements.

A lot of these items don’t generate lengthy Council discussions, but they’re important pieces of the infrastructure, planning, and public-safety work happening throughout Pasco.

🎤 PUBLIC COMMENT

We had a significant amount of public comment Monday night, with much of it focused on the Tri-Cities Animal Control facility and the discussion scheduled for later in the evening about the future of the shelter.

Residents spoke about animal care, adoption services, volunteers, staffing, policies, and areas where they believe the current operation needs to improve. It was clear from the turnout and testimony that there is a lot of community interest in what happens next.

There were also comments regarding a letter that was emailed to a downtown building owner by a community leader. Separately, I was also accused during public comment of “weaponizing code enforcement.”

There is a lot more context and documentation surrounding those issues, and rather than trying to address everything in a City Council recap, I will be putting out a separate post addressing those claims and providing the background and documentation so people can review the information for themselves.

As I’ve said before, public comment belongs to the public. Residents have every right to come before their government, criticize elected officials, question our actions, and ask that we be held accountable. I may disagree with what is said or provide additional facts and context, but people have the right to make their voices heard.

🏘️ GOODWIN ANNEXATION — APPROVED

We then moved into our public hearing and consideration of Ordinance No. 4856 for the Goodwin Annexation.

Council approved annexing the Goodwin property into the City of Pasco.

We’ve discussed this property during previous meetings. It’s located off Harris Road, across from the growing Broadmoor area, and essentially represents another county “donut hole” within an area that is becoming increasingly urbanized.

Bringing the property into the City allows the area to be incorporated into Pasco’s broader planning for roads, utilities, services, and future development.

I voted in favor of the annexation.

🏠 R-3 MEDIUM-DENSITY RESIDENTIAL ZONING

Immediately following the annexation, Council approved establishing R-3 Medium-Density Residential zoning for the Goodwin property.

There really wasn’t much controversy surrounding this item.

This is a good location for additional residential development. It’s directly across from the Broadmoor growth area, and the proposed residential use fits with the planning direction we’ve already established for this part of Pasco.

It also allows us to eliminate another county island and create a more cohesive development pattern as this entire area continues growing.

I voted in favor.

🌿 CANNABIS RETAIL — PASSES 4-3

After several weeks — really months — of discussion, Council finally voted on the proposed changes to Pasco’s cannabis retail regulations.

The ordinance passed 4-3, and I voted in favor of allowing the additional retail opportunity associated with Washington’s social-equity cannabis licensing program.

My reasoning on this issue has been pretty straightforward.

Cannabis is legal under Washington state law, and licensed cannabis retailers already legally operate within Pasco. I approached this primarily as a question about a legal, regulated business and how much the City should restrict the number of businesses permitted to participate in that market.

I also considered the history behind Washington’s social-equity licensing program and the consequences that past marijuana enforcement and sentencing have had on individuals and communities.

Council heard arguments from both sides throughout this process. Some people supported allowing another retailer, while others believed the City’s existing four-store cap should remain.

Ultimately, each Councilmember had to make their own decision based on the information presented, and the ordinance passed 4-3.

🐕 TRI-CITIES ANIMAL CONTROL — POUND VS. SHELTER

We ended the major portion of the evening with probably our largest discussion of the night: What do we want the Tri-Cities Animal Control facility to be going forward?

Should it primarily operate as an animal-control and stray-hold facility?

Should it remain a full-service animal shelter?

Or should the three cities pursue some type of hybrid model, potentially involving a nonprofit partner?

The staff presentation broke the services into two broad categories.

Animal Control & Stray Hold includes municipal code enforcement, emergency response, intake, and caring for animals through the legally required hold period — 72 hours for dogs and 48 hours for cats.

Long-Term Animal Sheltering goes beyond that and includes medical treatment, enrichment, foster and transfer programs, adoption efforts, and the additional staffing necessary to provide those services. Agenda Report from Harold Stewart, - Pdf.pdf

There is also a significant financial component to this conversation.

Direct operation by the three cities cost approximately $2.23 million in 2023, $2.43 million in 2024, and $2.34 million in 2025. Under the current usage-based allocation, Pasco’s 2026 share is calculated at 44%, compared with 39% for Kennewick and 17% for Richland. Agenda Report from Harold Stewart, - Pdf.pdf

Staff laid out three broad options for Council: an Animal Control Facility, Animal Shelter Facility, or hybrid model. Agenda Report from Harold Stewart, - Pdf.pdf

One of my biggest questions continues to be the actual cost breakdown.

The presentation showed approximately $783,000 in current staffing salaries, while the total annual operation is approximately $2.34 million. Agenda Report from Harold Stewart, - Pdf.pdf

I want a clearer picture of everything making up the difference — benefits, veterinary and medical expenses, food and animal supplies, spay and neuter services, utilities, facility operations, insurance, administration, contracts, and other expenses.

I also think we need to take a serious look at the policies governing the shelter.

The presentation indicated there is currently no policy establishing a specific length of stay for animals, while the data also showed a significant number of animals remaining at the facility longer than 14 days. Agenda Report from Harold Stewart, - Pdf.pdf

My position is that I want the shelter to remain a shelter.

But keeping it a shelter doesn’t mean we simply continue doing everything exactly the same way.

We need to determine what is working, what isn’t working, what policies need to change, how volunteers and community partners can be utilized, what level of medical care and adoption services should be provided, and what those decisions will ultimately cost taxpayers.

The discussion also needs to be about quality of care, not simply finding the cheapest possible model.

Council asked for additional information before determining the long-term direction, so there is more to come on this issue. Staff noted that the direction from Pasco, Kennewick, and Richland will ultimately feed back into the Animal Control Authority’s next steps. Agenda Report from Harold Stewart, - Pdf.pdf

🏙️ DOWNTOWN RFPS

During miscellaneous discussion, I also asked for updates on several downtown RFPs we’ve been waiting on.

That includes City-owned properties we’re looking to move forward, the RFP involving future management of the Pasco Specialty Kitchen and Farmers Market, and the RFP involving a third-party organization potentially taking over certain community events.

If we’re going through these processes, I want Council and the public to know where they stand, what responses we’ve received, and what the timeline is for making decisions.

There has been a lot of discussion about downtown recently, and these are some of the concrete decisions that will determine what happens next.

👥 CITY RECRUITMENT & CONSULTANTS

Finally, I asked about the City’s continued use of outside recruitment consultants.

I’ve raised this concern before.

I don’t think we should automatically spend taxpayer dollars on expensive national recruitment consultants, particularly if we ultimately go through the entire process and then hire someone already working within the organization.

There are certainly situations where a specialized national search may be necessary, but I don’t believe that should automatically be our first option every time we have an opening.

I specifically asked about the Parks & Recreation Director position and was told that the City is not hiring a national recruitment consultant for that position. Instead, the position is being posted and people will be able to apply through the regular recruitment process.

I was glad to hear that clarification.

⸻

Overall, it was a packed meeting with several significant decisions and several conversations that aren’t finished yet.

We brought another property into the City for future residential development, made a decision on cannabis retail, continued moving important infrastructure projects forward, and began a much larger conversation about what level of animal services our community wants and what we’re willing to pay for it.

The animal shelter discussion will continue. I’ll keep asking for updates on the downtown RFPs, and I’ll also be putting out a separate post regarding the issues raised during public comment so those matters can be addressed with the full context and documentation.

As always, these recaps are about keeping you informed about what your City Council is discussing, what we’re voting on, and how these decisions affect Pasco. ... See MoreSee Less