FW City Council roundup includes Black History Month celebration

The Federal Way City Council discussed legislative news, approved spending for city projects and voted to let the city form a clerk’s department during their Feb. 7 meeting.

Councilmembers also celebrated Black History Month with about 10 students from Thomas Jefferson and Decatur High Schools, who spoke to some of the accomplishments of and upcoming events held by local Black students and members of Black Student Unions.

A local student shares details of the plans for Thomas Jefferson High School’s Black History Month, to include include historic black movies and educational presentations. Alex Bruell / The Mirror

A local student shares details of the plans for Thomas Jefferson High School’s Black History Month, to include include historic black movies and educational presentations. Alex Bruell / The Mirror

Also on Tuesday, the council…

• Heard a legislative update from Mayor Ferrell, who has testified in Olympia recently in support of bills that would return greater discretion to police during vehicle pursuits and to fix the gap in drug laws left by the Blake decision.

• Unanimously signed off on the city’s request to place a $5,846 lien on a 1st Place SW property for the cost of nuisance abatement there. The property has a long history of code violations, including junk, vehicles, scrap metal and pallets in the backyard, according to the city.

• Unanimously approved the spending $60,000 for a drum mulcher head for the city’s Surface Water Management program and $83,951 for a truck and trailer for the city’s new shopping cart program.

• Unanimously authorized city staff to apply for a nine-month $60,000 Port of Seattle grant program, which the city plans to use for promoting retention of businesses in Federal Way.

• Unanimously voted to make amendments to city code suggested by city staff that tweak language on hearing notices, boundary line adjustments and other city business.

• Unanimously voted to form a city clerk department. Creating the department wouldn’t change how the City Clerk’s pay is calculated or have a budgetary impact, according to the mayor.

For your calendar:

The Federal Way Soroptimist club holds its second annual food drive for the Senior Center this month, specifically looking for canned soup, pasta, beans, fruit cups, apple sauce, pet food, canned vegetables, snacks, peanut butter and tuna. Donations can be made at the South King Tool Library at 1700 S 340th St.

Betty Taylor shows a plaque for Chief Andy Hwang and the Federal Way Police Department, thanking them for how they handled a recent situation. Alex Bruell / The Mirror

Betty Taylor shows a plaque for Chief Andy Hwang and the Federal Way Police Department, thanking them for how they handled a recent situation. Alex Bruell / The Mirror