Dayton commissioners discuss vandalism, road work

DAYTON — Mayor Roger Trump called the Dayton City Council meeting to order at 6 p.m. on July 8, 2025. Trump, council members James Su’euga, Michael Smith, Glenn Hagfeldt, Laura Aukerman, Kyle Anderson, Shannon McMillen, and Joann Patras were present at Dayton City Hall.

Sheriff Joe Helm reminded everyone that National Night Out is August 5, 2025, at Pietrzycki City Park.

The sheriff said that anyone interested in purchasing surplus vehicles from the Sheriff’s Department can contact the county.

Su’euga asked Helm to provide more details in the incident report so that the council has a better understanding of what is going on.

County Commissioner Ryan Rundell said the treasurer’s office is waiting for renovations to be completed before moving into offices at 115 E. Main Street. It will be the last county department to move from the courthouse to the building formerly occupied by Columbia Pulp. A committee will be appointed to explore options for the vacated offices at the courthouse.

The council went into an executive session to discuss litigation at 6:16 p.m. and returned to regular session at 6:35 p.m.

The council voted to authorize the mayor to renew the annual membership with the Municipal Research and Services Center. The MRSC is a nonprofit organization that provides local Washington State governments with legal and policy guidance on topics including small works, consultants, and vendors. Membership is brought up for approval annually

Public Works Director Ryan Paulson said he was working on the city’s water system after a partial failure due to a power outage that morning.

Paulson said the city had completed installing the ADA ramps on Fourth Street, and most of the concrete work was now complete. Another ongoing road project is chip sealing about a third of the city streets in conjunction with the county. Paulson said the project uses smaller and cleaner gravel than was used for the Otta seal project last year and should produce a smoother and less dusty surface. Paulson said the chip-sealed roads should ride a lot better since the City was able to obtain more funding for pre-leveling the streets, a process that was not funded before the Otta seal last year.

Paulson stated that there was an increase in vandalism, including setting off fireworks in the park bathroom, breaking toilet seats, and destroying garbage cans. The security cameras showed video of an incident involving juveniles who have not yet been identified. The perpetrators also used the floors to relieve themselves. He said the vandalism is “pretty out of control.”

The mayor and council discussed complaints the city received about fireworks and the lack of enforcement of state law and city ordinances concerning aerial fireworks. There was confusion about what precisely is banned. Most council members agreed that there should be no illegal fireworks at any stand, outside those sold from within reservations. The council dropped the topic without taking any action or making plans for future discussion.

Trump said a lawsuit by a community member against a council member had been settled.

A question was submitted to the council about city displaying flags on Main Street. Specifically, why flags were displayed on most holidays but not on the Juneteenth holiday. The mayor put the discussion on the agenda for the next workshop.

The next City Council meeting is scheduled for Tuesday, August 12, 2025, at 6 p.m.