Pasco City Councilman Leo Perales

09/07/2026

⚖️ What’s Going On With All the Lawsuits Against the City?

One part of Tuesday’s City Manager Report that I think residents should know about is the number of legal cases currently involving the City of Pasco.

The report lists 11 legal matters, although several are separate cases involving the same development. These aren’t all the same type of lawsuit, and being sued certainly doesn’t mean the City did something wrong. But residents should know what’s happening.

🏗️ Several lawsuits involve development and permitting.
A number involve the Madison Park North development. The developer and the City have been fighting over things like road improvements, transportation impact-fee credits, school-zone improvements, right-of-way requirements and other conditions the City placed on the development. Some of these cases are now in state appellate court or federal court. 2026.09.08 City Manager Report.pdf

Another developer has sued the City over conditions placed on a proposed RV park on Lewis Street, including requirements involving RV spacing, roads, traffic circulation, fire hydrants and other site requirements. 2026.09.08 City Manager Report.pdf

👷 Other lawsuits involve actions by City employees.
One person is seeking damages allegedly resulting from the actions of a City employee while that employee was performing official duties. 2026.09.08 City Manager Report.pdf

Another lawsuit makes much more serious allegations involving a City employee and alleges negligent hiring, training and supervision by the City, along with discrimination and other claims. Again, these are allegations contained in a lawsuit, not established facts. 2026.09.08 City Manager Report.pdf

🚔 There’s also a small-claims case involving Pasco Police.
A man alleges his boat was damaged during a police investigation. The City’s insurer denied his claim, and a small-claims trial is scheduled for September 21. 2026.09.08 City Manager Report.pdf

🐕 The City is also named in an animal-control-related lawsuit along with several other agencies. The lawsuit alleges that reasonable steps weren’t taken to address a known danger to the public. 2026.09.08 City Manager Report.pdf

🎪 And another lawsuit involves an attendee at an event.
The allegation is that reasonable steps weren’t taken to prevent an attendee from being exposed to a hazard. 2026.09.08 City Manager Report.pdf

💰 Here’s the number that really caught my attention.

The City’s insurance/risk information shows something unusual.

Pasco actually had fewer claims than would be expected for a city like ours, 161 claims compared with 225 expected.

But the total amount associated with those claims is much higher than expected.

The report shows about $7.3 million expected compared with approximately $24.6 million actually incurred. 2026.09.08 City Manager Report.pdf

And about $21.9 million of that $24.6 million is associated with Public Safety claims. The report says the majority of that Public Safety amount comes from one claim. 2026.09.08 City Manager Report.pdf

To be clear, $24.6 million “incurred” does not necessarily mean $24.6 million has already been paid out. The report doesn’t tell us how much has actually been paid versus how much represents estimated/reserved exposure.

That’s something I think is worth asking about publicly.

How much of the $24.6 million has actually been paid, how much is currently reserved for outstanding claims, and what impact, if any, is this having on the City’s insurance costs and taxpayers?

Residents deserve to understand the City’s legal and financial exposure, especially when we’re simultaneously having difficult conversations about the City’s budget.

09/04/2026

Let’s go.

09/04/2026

09/04/2026

After months of preparation, Pasco High School football is ready to face a real opponent. The Bulldogs will host Kennewick Friday night at Edgar Brown Stadium for their season opener,

09/03/2026

🏛️ PASCO CITY COUNCIL — TUESDAY MEETING PREVIEW

Just a heads-up to the community: because Monday is Labor Day, our regular Pasco City Council meeting will be held on Tuesday, September 8, 2026, at 7:00 PM at Pasco City Hall.

There are several items on Tuesday’s agenda that may be of particular interest to residents, including public hearings on data centers, cannabis retail, transportation projects, and economic-development incentives.

📋 WHAT’S ON THE AGENDA?

Consent Agenda
Council will consider several routine items together, including:

* Approval of the August 17 and August 24 meeting minutes
* A budget amendment providing additional funding for park security enhancements
* Acceptance of completed work on the Wastewater Treatment Plant Phase 1 Project
* Acceptance of completed work on the Process Water Reuse Facility Phase 2 – Winter Storage Project

📢 Proclamations
Council will recognize:

* Attendance Awareness Month
* Su***de Prevention Month
* The 25th Anniversary of September 11, 2001

🏗️ PUBLIC HEARINGS

There are several opportunities for the public to provide input Tuesday night:

Data Center Moratorium — A public hearing will be held regarding the City’s existing six-month moratorium on new licenses and permits for data centers, cryptocurrency mining, blockchain computing, artificial intelligence computing facilities, and other high-density computing facilities. The moratorium was adopted July 20. No Council action is scheduled on the moratorium Tuesday; this item is for the public hearing.

Cannabis Retail Facilities — Council will hold a public hearing and consider an ordinance amending the City’s regulations for cannabis retail facilities.

Targeted Urban Area Tax Exemption — Council will hold a public hearing regarding the City’s Targeted Urban Area (TUA) Tax Exemption Program.

Road 108 Right-of-Way Vacation — Council will consider vacating a portion of public right-of-way associated with Road 108.

2027–2032 Transportation Improvement Program — Council will hold a public hearing and consider revisions to Pasco’s Six-Year Transportation Improvement Program, which helps guide the development, design, and construction of local and regional transportation improvements.

🏗️ OTHER COUNCIL BUSINESS

Council will also consider:

* An engineering agreement with APEX Companies for improvements involving Road 103, Road 105 and Buckingham Drive within the Broadmoor Tax Increment Financing area, along with a related capital-budget amendment
* Renewal of the Lightspeed Networks fiber-optic franchise
* Increasing the City’s General Petty Cash Fund from $7,500 to $10,000
* The City Manager’s report and other Council discussion

🗣️ WANT TO SPEAK TO YOUR CITY COUNCIL?

There is a general Public Comment period during the meeting. This is an opportunity to address Council on City matters that are not the subject of a scheduled public hearing. Public comments are normally limited to three minutes per person.

If an issue is the subject of one of Tuesday night’s public hearings, residents will have an opportunity to provide testimony during that hearing.

Meeting: Tuesday, September 8, 2026
Time: 7:00 PM
Location: Pasco City Hall — Council Chambers
Remote participation: Microsoft Teams Webinar

Residents who want to provide public comment remotely can submit the City’s online public-comment form. Requests to comment remotely must be received by 4:00 PM on Tuesday.

You can also listen by phone at 1-332-249-0718, access code 898824246 #.

The meeting will be broadcast live on PSC-TV Channel 191 and streamed through the City’s PSC-TV service and page.

Whether you agree, disagree, or simply want to learn more about what your city is doing, public participation matters. Take a look at the agenda, reach out to your councilmembers, submit comments, or join us Tuesday night.

09/02/2026

09/02/2026

The sudden anger about these cameras seems to reflect more than just wariness about the surveillance system.

09/02/2026

🚨 DISTRICT 3 — MISSING CHILD HAS BEEN FOUND!