Pierce County Council limits business to be conducted

Thanks to coronavirus, it was anything but business as usual for the Pierce County Council at its March 31 meeting. All council members were in attendance at the audience-free meeting, with Pam Roach, Connie Ladenburg and Derek Young joining via phone.

Due to Gov. Jay Inslee’s “Stay Home, Stay Safe” emergency proclamations closing schools and reducing non-essential travel and non-essential contact, in-person attendance of Pierce County Council meetings by members of the public is not permitted at this time.

Owing to the governor’s directives in response to the pandemic, Chair Douglas Richards explained the council would only be doing business that is deemed “necessary and routine.”

During the less-than-30-minute meeting, the council passed five ordinances, including:
? Proposal No. 2020-16s, adopting a Technical Agricultural Resources Lands Area-wide Map amendment and related text to the Pierce County Comprehensive Plan and Pierce County Zoning Atlas.

“This is a technical amendment necessary to resolve an agricultural lands mapping error,” senior legislative analyst Mike Kruger said.

? Proposal No. 2020-27, ratifying a memorandum of understanding with Teamsters Local Union No. 117, General Unit, to extend the current labor agreement through Dec. 31, 2020.

? Proposal No. 2020-28, ratifying a memorandum of understanding with Teamsters Local Union No. 117, Pierce County Sheriff’s Union, to extend the current labor agreement through Dec. 31, 2020.

? Proposal No. 2020-29, approving a collective bargaining agreement with the Washington State Council of County and City Employees; American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees; AFL-CIO, Local 120, that is effective from January 2020 through Dec. 31, 2021.

? Proposal No. 2020-30, approving a collective bargaining agreement with the Pierce County Deputy Sheriffs Independent Guild, Local No. 1889 Community Service Officers, including a wage increase of 2.07 percent effective Jan. 13, 2020, and a general wage increase equal to 90 percent of the Seattle-Tacoma Consumer Price Index for all urban consumers as reported in July 2020. That includes a floor of 1.75 percent and a ceiling of 3 percent.

Remote attendance and participation in Pierce County Council meetings is available as council meetings are broadcast live on Comcast 22, Click 22/522 HD and Rainier Connect 20/513, and can be streamed live at 222.piercecountytv.org. Remote public participation in Citizens’ Forum and public testimony on ordinances and resolutions is provided by calling in to 253-798-8779.