Yakima City Council Wants To Create Sanctuary City [POLL]

Over the objections of many local residents, the Yakima City Council voted unanimously Tuesday to create a future resolution to possibly make Yakima a sanctuary or welcoming city where all people would feel safe.

No date was set for the council to discuss the future resolution. The city legal department is now working on the wording so the city can take action.

Meantime, rather than creating another homeless encampment, the council agreed to set up a committee to further discuss eight different sites where a homeless encampment could be located in the future.

The council also talked about the Downtown Central Plaza and set a December deadline for the plaza committee to collect needed funds for the project. The city is also looking for grants.

And the council Tuesday voted in favor of creating a transportation benefit area, allowing the city to collect up to $20 per vehicle to fund street improvement projects. The council says it will further discuss that issue at its Jan. 31 meeting.