City to honor Mindy Betzler with a week of remembrance

DAYTON — Mayor Roger Trump called the Dayton City Council to order at 6 p.m., on January 13, 2026. The mayor and all council members were present: James Su’euga, Michael Smith, Glenn Hagfeldt, Kyle Anderson, Joann Patras, Shannon McMillen, and new member, Dave Harvey.

After clearing administrative items, including the consent agenda, the regular meeting was closed for two consecutive executive sessions, the reasons stated on the agenda as personnel issues and contract negotiations. The council voted on a change to the utility tax after the first executive session but did not disclose the details during the public session.

After the second executive session closed, the mayor said the session was held for personnel issues, with no action taken.

The mayor’s report began with residents’ concerns over city expansion. Trump said that because of growth management laws, nothing could be done unless a big contractor came in with a lot of money, which he thought was improbable.

Trump then announced a week of remembrance for Mindy Betzler, who passed away on December 4, 2025. The week of remembrance will be held from February 9 through 15, 2026. The city will coordinate with the Chamber of Commerce for the remembrances. A memorial at the Fair Pavilion is also being planned.

Public Works Director Ryan Paulson said there has been an uptick in sewer backups in the past few months. He said most were caused by flushable wipes accumulating in the system. Paulson implored residents to flush only human waste and toilet paper. He said that flushable wipes wreak havoc on the lift station pumps in particular.

Paulson said residents have complained that the sensors controlling the traffic lights on Main Street and Second Street are not functioning correctly after the recent windstorm. The Washington Department of Transportation controls the light. State officials said vehicles need to stop directly over the buried sensors located behind the stop line for 3-5 seconds to trigger the light. The D.O.T. engineers who monitor traffic lights remotely from Yakima said the light was working normally. However, they consented to reset the light, which restored it to the functionality the drivers in Dayton have long been accustomed to.

Some business owners on Main Street have expressed strong opinions that the trees pose a threat of damage from branches and roots. They want the city to remove or aggressively prune the trees. Other citizens are very protective of the trees, making removal controversial.

The recent windstorm, in addition to confusing the traffic light and dropping branches liberally around town, “completely thrashed the cemetery,” according to Paulson. At least four large trees were lost, and some headstones were damaged. Paulson will notify plot owners whose headstones were affected. Paulson described one of the trees, snapped off from its five-foot-diameter trunk.

There was no public comment during the last opportunity.

The meeting adjourned at 7:27 p.m.